BOOK REVIEW
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In Any Lifetime - Marc Guggenheim
This was the second book I chose from my Kindle First Reads in July 2024 (read my review for my other choice, You Shouldn't Be Here, by following this link). I love having a selection of upcoming or new book releases to choose from for free, as a benefit of my Prime membership. Even if you're not a Prime member, you can choose from First Reads at a massive discount, it's a great way to read newly released books while keeping costs down. You can sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime here.
This was another blind selection, chosen for the stunning cover art of an hourglass with a city in the lower section, being filled with sand.
BLURB
A devoted husband defies fate and risks everything to find the one universe where his beloved wife is still alive in this bold and thought-provoking novel.
Dr. Jonas Cullen has spent his career as a groundbreaking physicist defying the odds. But on the best night of his life - the night his wife, Amanda, tells him they're finally having a baby - everything is taken away when a tragic car accident claims the lives of Amanda and their unborn child.
Gutted by pain, Jonas sets out to find a way to bring back Amanda - or rather, find a parallel universe in which she's still alive. But that's easier said than done. As Jonas comes to understand all too well, the universe favours certain outcomes...and Amanda's death is one of them.
Guggenheim's novel takes readers on a suspenseful journey, intercutting scenes of Jonas' frantic, present-day search across multiple realities with glimpses from the past of his unfolding romance and eventual marriage. Will Jonas and Amanda reunite in some other world, or will fate succeed in taking her from him forever?
MY REVIEW
The premise of this book is really incredible. Intricate and well thought out. The idea of parallel universes has taken many forms and I really love the idea that someone would literally traverse the laws of physics (and between worlds) to be with the one they love. It's a romantic notion and it's easy to suspend belief a little, hoping for a happy ending!
Suspended beliefs are well and truly needed in this book. Although Guggenheim does a good job of trying to plug the gaps that any time travel/parallel universe story tends to leave, taking things at face value and allowing the story to flow is the best way to enjoy this book. Yes, there are questions, but remember, this is a fantastical Sci-Fi concept that doesn't actually exist (that we know of!) so just enjoy the ride!
The first two chapters of the book, dealing with Amanda's death, were stunningly written. The metaphors of an orchestra, timpani drums, and choirs were a foil to the horror of the situation and I loved the contrast.
The science talk was quite hard to get my head around. I mean, the discussions are about quantum mechanics, so even in layman's terms, the ideas are complex. The science doesn't HAVE to work though - it's fiction, the author is creating a world in which a scientific breakthrough exists that has not actually happened.
The flashbacks to the beginning of Jonas' relationship with Amanda were cute and interesting. They indicated the strength of their attraction and relationship. However, I did find it a little fast, as relationships go. They only knew each other for three years before the accident that took Amanda's life. That's a tiny amount of time, my pragmatic brain tells me, for a connection and love to be so magnificent that transcending the laws of physics is the only option. Would I do it, if I had the know-how and the tech, to go and find my other half in another universe? If I knew he would be the same as he is now, I probably would but I'd be too caught up in the what-ifs. What if his life path has been so different that he's actually a bit of an ass? What if our personalities turn out to be too different? What if there are better versions of me in that universe who have already charmed him? I am clearly more of a pessimist than Jonas!
The Bond-Villain element was a surprise, but it helped prevent the story from becoming repetitive. The so-called 'villain origin story' was quite a reach and could have been padded out better in the flashbacks. There was bound to be more to it than that, to cause such a monumental shift.
The pace built up nicely and by the finale, we were dealing with an action-packed, emotive, and fast-paced culmination of the story.
The book traversed genres as much as universes. Romance, tick. Thriller, tick. Sci-Fi, tick. Action, tick. They wove together nicely to create a story that kept me hooked throughout. I finished it in 5 hours!
All throughout this book, I was captured by how brilliantly it could be adapted into a film or TV series. It has all the elements. The romance, the complex science, the nefarious bad guy, the action-packed finale. You heard it here first!
I am so pleased that I picked this book, it was a thrill and pleasure to read, Marc Guggenheim is a very talented writer (he's also written comic books, and for TV series/movies, so he's very accomplished in his field) and I'd be first in line to read any other novels he puts out there in future!
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