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lynniekate's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
martysuter's review
4.0
I'm not sure what I thought I was getting when I started this book but I loved the end result. I kept expecting the worst for some reason but the story kept surprising me. There are some sad and lonely folks in this narrative but love and redemption are waiting for most of them. Looking forward to checking out the tv adaptation to see how it looks on the small screen. Well done, Mr Walsh! 4.5 stars!
colingooding's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I decided to read this because I had watched the TV show and mostly enjoyed it, and was especially intrigued by the premise. I was surprised by how much the book diverged from the show.
At times I found this book a bit mean and bleak, but at others it was sort of whimsical and sweet. Really all over in the place, but mostly in a good way? The last quarter of the book really feels like a rock rolling down a hill and I stayed up late reading to the conclusion, which isn't someone I often do anymore.
I also appreciated that the mysterious sort of sci-fi premise of the book is used mostly as a catalyst and is not the core focus of the story.
saroz162's review against another edition
2.0
This is a fantastic premise in search of a far better novel.
I bought this book because I was so intrigued by the first two episodes of the new TV series based on it. The premise: a small American town, set in its quiet little ways, is shaken up by the mysterious arrival of a machine that claims to tell people their "potential." Folks line up to go in the little booth, give their information, and receive a little blue card with a single word on it, like Hero or Carpenter or Magician. One local teacher, having just turned 40, is crushed by the "potential" he receives: Teacher/Whistler. It takes him over the edge into a mid-life crisis - why is everyone losing their minds over this thing? Why is his wife acting so strange? And doesn't he have more potential, anyway?
To me, this is a classic Twilight Zone premise, worthy of Rod Serling or Richard Matheson. (I'm sure others will see hints of Stephen King here, or even the Tom Hanks movie Big.) The original 1960s series was full of episodes where a sudden, supernatural or pseudo-magical catalyst forced characters to re-evaluate their lives. Most of the time, a Twilight Zone would set this kind of idea off like a snowball down a hill, gathering speed and mass until it became a crisis by the end of the episode. Sometimes, the crisis would end in a narrow escape; sometimes, the characters had to learn their lessons the hard way.
I like this kind of thing, so I bought the book to see which it was going to be.
What I learned very quickly is that the producers of the TV series bought the rights to the book for the premise and (I suspect) not much else. The character names have all been changed, although they mostly have the same relationships and you can compare like-to-like between versions quite easily. Far more important is the change in the general tone. The TV series has quirky, funny moments, but it also has a vein of genuine melancholy running through it. M.O. Walsh's novel, on the other hand, is - dare I say it - a bit breezy.
At first, I thought he, too, was trying to present the characters quirkily. He spends an awful lot of time in each of several characters' heads, but weirdly, you don't seem to get to know most of them any better than you did at the beginning. They don't shift or change or have conflicting emotions. Instead, they seem to have two modes: love and deep empathy, and a sudden, almost child-like hope about the future. Indeed, some of them start to demonstrate a grandiosity that, as I was reading, I anticipated would be punctured like a balloon.
I found the book easy to read, but as I was going along, I questioned what the author was doing. I kept wondering why, although Walsh occasionally tossed out a high high for a character to experience, I wasn't getting any texture from low lows. By only ever allowing his characters to fleetingly question their own judgment, Walsh made them look, in many cases, quite willfully naïve. I kept making excuses for that in my mind, thinking he was setting them up to take a big fall, a big, dark, climax that would show them all up for the rather smug fools they'd been.
That never happened, except in perhaps the most anticlimactic way possible. In fact, the few small moments of darkness are swept up almost as soon as they're introduced. The entire final third of the book never really lands because there isn't a true climax: things appear to be getting worse - but then they're okay. Somehow. Magically. Because of love.
As for the machine that tells people's potential, it almost completely vanishes over the second half of the book, only briefly reemerging at the very end. And that's fine - a catalyst is a catalyst for a reason, and I never really expected to learn what it "meant" or why it was even there in the first place. However, I did expect its influence to keep motivating the story, and at some point, that simply stopped happening. It's as if it just blew away in the breeze.
I can't in good conscience recommend this book unless you like a read that is so cozy it almost feels saccharine. What's so strange to me is that there is plenty of implied content in this book that is neither cozy nor saccharine, but it all just gets glossed over and swept away in favor of slightly smug, cutesy warm feelings. In another novel, a little unrealistic warmth might feel like relief after a look at what pain and loss can allow people to believe. Here, that simply isn't earned, because the author barely scratched the surface.
I bought this book because I was so intrigued by the first two episodes of the new TV series based on it. The premise: a small American town, set in its quiet little ways, is shaken up by the mysterious arrival of a machine that claims to tell people their "potential." Folks line up to go in the little booth, give their information, and receive a little blue card with a single word on it, like Hero or Carpenter or Magician. One local teacher, having just turned 40, is crushed by the "potential" he receives: Teacher/Whistler. It takes him over the edge into a mid-life crisis - why is everyone losing their minds over this thing? Why is his wife acting so strange? And doesn't he have more potential, anyway?
To me, this is a classic Twilight Zone premise, worthy of Rod Serling or Richard Matheson. (I'm sure others will see hints of Stephen King here, or even the Tom Hanks movie Big.) The original 1960s series was full of episodes where a sudden, supernatural or pseudo-magical catalyst forced characters to re-evaluate their lives. Most of the time, a Twilight Zone would set this kind of idea off like a snowball down a hill, gathering speed and mass until it became a crisis by the end of the episode. Sometimes, the crisis would end in a narrow escape; sometimes, the characters had to learn their lessons the hard way.
I like this kind of thing, so I bought the book to see which it was going to be.
What I learned very quickly is that the producers of the TV series bought the rights to the book for the premise and (I suspect) not much else. The character names have all been changed, although they mostly have the same relationships and you can compare like-to-like between versions quite easily. Far more important is the change in the general tone. The TV series has quirky, funny moments, but it also has a vein of genuine melancholy running through it. M.O. Walsh's novel, on the other hand, is - dare I say it - a bit breezy.
At first, I thought he, too, was trying to present the characters quirkily. He spends an awful lot of time in each of several characters' heads, but weirdly, you don't seem to get to know most of them any better than you did at the beginning. They don't shift or change or have conflicting emotions. Instead, they seem to have two modes: love and deep empathy, and a sudden, almost child-like hope about the future. Indeed, some of them start to demonstrate a grandiosity that, as I was reading, I anticipated would be punctured like a balloon.
I found the book easy to read, but as I was going along, I questioned what the author was doing. I kept wondering why, although Walsh occasionally tossed out a high high for a character to experience, I wasn't getting any texture from low lows. By only ever allowing his characters to fleetingly question their own judgment, Walsh made them look, in many cases, quite willfully naïve. I kept making excuses for that in my mind, thinking he was setting them up to take a big fall, a big, dark, climax that would show them all up for the rather smug fools they'd been.
That never happened, except in perhaps the most anticlimactic way possible. In fact, the few small moments of darkness are swept up almost as soon as they're introduced. The entire final third of the book never really lands because there isn't a true climax: things appear to be getting worse - but then they're okay. Somehow. Magically. Because of love.
As for the machine that tells people's potential, it almost completely vanishes over the second half of the book, only briefly reemerging at the very end. And that's fine - a catalyst is a catalyst for a reason, and I never really expected to learn what it "meant" or why it was even there in the first place. However, I did expect its influence to keep motivating the story, and at some point, that simply stopped happening. It's as if it just blew away in the breeze.
I can't in good conscience recommend this book unless you like a read that is so cozy it almost feels saccharine. What's so strange to me is that there is plenty of implied content in this book that is neither cozy nor saccharine, but it all just gets glossed over and swept away in favor of slightly smug, cutesy warm feelings. In another novel, a little unrealistic warmth might feel like relief after a look at what pain and loss can allow people to believe. Here, that simply isn't earned, because the author barely scratched the surface.
arflegel's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoy M.O. Walsh's writing, and this one is no exception. While I had my characters I was rooting for, or more invested in, the book kept me invested. M.O.'s storytelling and character development are top-notch! Currently living in a small town, I appreciated (and totally "got") the descriptions of small-town life.
escowhat2's review
3.0
Very interesting initial story but the book falls a little flat at the end. I think the Apple TV+ adaptation was well done and since it veered from the original I’m hoping we get a more sci-fi explanation of where the machine came from and what its purpose is.
ruby42's review
3.0
3.5 stars.
It wasn't exactly as I expected, but it was a nice, fun, sweet read. Charming in a small town way.
It wasn't exactly as I expected, but it was a nice, fun, sweet read. Charming in a small town way.