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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"You think things like this are going to change you into someone else, but generally they make you more of who you already are."
I Think We've Been Here Before is a charming, lyrical, quirky story about the end of the world. It most closely follows Nora, a young woman who has just moved to Berlin, and her parents Hilda and Marlen in Saskatchewan. These characters cope with an unimaginable disaster not with heroism or insanity but by becoming ever more human, their shortened lifespan intensifying their longing for both independence and connection, their desire to find hope in the future and their need to cling to the past.
I absolutely loved this book. I loved the way the author used a somewhat bizarre premise to illuminate characters and feelings that felt fully grounded. I loved the moments of stark insight, funny and tragic and everything in between, and the lyrical turns of phrase. I loved how every time I got caught in the sadness of the story's premise the book offered a sweet moment or charming detail, not negating the sadness but offering an upbeat counterpoint.
Even though it had a totally different premise and characters, the vibe of this book reminded me of [b:Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow|58784475|Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow|Gabrielle Zevin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636978687l/58784475._SY75_.jpg|89167797]. 5+ stars.
[I received a complimentary ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. Opinions are my own.]
Update, 3 weeks later: I'm still thinking about this book.
I Think We've Been Here Before is a charming, lyrical, quirky story about the end of the world. It most closely follows Nora, a young woman who has just moved to Berlin, and her parents Hilda and Marlen in Saskatchewan. These characters cope with an unimaginable disaster not with heroism or insanity but by becoming ever more human, their shortened lifespan intensifying their longing for both independence and connection, their desire to find hope in the future and their need to cling to the past.
I absolutely loved this book. I loved the way the author used a somewhat bizarre premise to illuminate characters and feelings that felt fully grounded. I loved the moments of stark insight, funny and tragic and everything in between, and the lyrical turns of phrase. I loved how every time I got caught in the sadness of the story's premise the book offered a sweet moment or charming detail, not negating the sadness but offering an upbeat counterpoint.
Even though it had a totally different premise and characters, the vibe of this book reminded me of [b:Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow|58784475|Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow|Gabrielle Zevin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1636978687l/58784475._SY75_.jpg|89167797]. 5+ stars.
[I received a complimentary ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. Opinions are my own.]
Update, 3 weeks later: I'm still thinking about this book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is extremely we written. Almost lyrical in many ways. That characters are well-described and you come to care about them. Some are very inspiring and lovable even.
But it's an odd apocalypse book. The characters don't act in many sensible ways. I mean, the world's ending. Call your Mother already! (don't worry, that quickly becomes a non-spoiler)
It was a fun light read but I didn't care much for the ending. I guess it was supposed to inspire hope and be a kind of Paradise. It struck me as a vision of Hell! Yikes! Not what I would even want to be a part of. But you may differ…
But it's an odd apocalypse book. The characters don't act in many sensible ways. I mean, the world's ending. Call your Mother already! (don't worry, that quickly becomes a non-spoiler)
It was a fun light read but I didn't care much for the ending. I guess it was supposed to inspire hope and be a kind of Paradise. It struck me as a vision of Hell! Yikes! Not what I would even want to be a part of. But you may differ…
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A fine book — suitable for a holiday read. It moves quickly and, despite the premise, is pretty heartwarming. The ending made me like the book more.
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
"Life just ended suddenly one day, right when people were in the middle of it."
It’s bad enough finding out you’ve got a terminal illness and you’re going to die soon, but then you find out even if you somehow survive, it’s the end of the world anyway.
This book was breathtakingly complicated. It was hopeless, tragic and heartbreaking but also beautiful, a moving snapshot of what being human, being alive really means when it’s all you have left. A truly unique end of the world story with a quietly beautiful twist and a lot of soul.
We follow the family over the last three months of life on earth, starting in relative mundanity. Nora tries to start a new life in a new city after a heartbreak, Hilda and Marlen have their family over for dinner, Iver contemplates his life as he grows old, Hank and Irene try to understand having a teenage son; perfectly normal lives before life itself becomes chaos and memory, reality, history start to unravel and what it means to be alive is called into question. Each of their perspectives being carefully recorded and their personalities still shining even in a third person style with each person finding solace, anger and comfort in different places.
The storytelling was slow, but it worked - it was slow in the way of someone taking their time, taking in their surroundings and stopping to think about everything they see. The writing was almost dreamlike, ethereal and invoked an almost hazy effect as it moved seamlessly from one moment to the next.
This story explores loss on multiple levels. The loss of a relationship, the loss of health, or love, or life. Hilda is angry that Marlen is dying, but heartbroken. Ole has gone missing in a different kind of loss. It truly takes time to hold a mirror to the feeling and show just how complex yet universal it can be.
A poetic portrait of life and death that captures the universally understood experiences of being human.
This book was breathtakingly complicated. It was hopeless, tragic and heartbreaking but also beautiful, a moving snapshot of what being human, being alive really means when it’s all you have left. A truly unique end of the world story with a quietly beautiful twist and a lot of soul.
We follow the family over the last three months of life on earth, starting in relative mundanity. Nora tries to start a new life in a new city after a heartbreak, Hilda and Marlen have their family over for dinner, Iver contemplates his life as he grows old, Hank and Irene try to understand having a teenage son; perfectly normal lives before life itself becomes chaos and memory, reality, history start to unravel and what it means to be alive is called into question. Each of their perspectives being carefully recorded and their personalities still shining even in a third person style with each person finding solace, anger and comfort in different places.
The storytelling was slow, but it worked - it was slow in the way of someone taking their time, taking in their surroundings and stopping to think about everything they see. The writing was almost dreamlike, ethereal and invoked an almost hazy effect as it moved seamlessly from one moment to the next.
This story explores loss on multiple levels. The loss of a relationship, the loss of health, or love, or life. Hilda is angry that Marlen is dying, but heartbroken. Ole has gone missing in a different kind of loss. It truly takes time to hold a mirror to the feeling and show just how complex yet universal it can be.
A poetic portrait of life and death that captures the universally understood experiences of being human.