A review by kaitisbooknook
Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake

emotional reflective medium-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

5.0

Aldo, a genius mathematician obsessed with figuring out the possibilities of time travel who is recovering from a recent overdose, and Reagan, an affluent-born former artist (and possibly criminal?) with a mood disorder collide one day in Chicago at the art institute where Regan is currently volunteering as a docent. Their initial interaction effects them both so deeply, that they agree to have six more conversations to get to know each other, a number that  is significant in many ways throughout the novel. These conversations not only allow them to know one another on a more personal level, but they also uncover secrets about themselves and how they truly feel about their world and their positions in it. 
I have not found myself so drawn to a love story in quite some time. Olivie Blake has managed to write characters who are incredibly compelling on their own, and only become more so the deeper they become intertwined with one another. With her background as a fantasy writer, she is able to frame the story in such a way that supersedes reality and moves in the otherworldly, specifically in the way she plays with time.
The narrative framing of the novel is especially intriguing, moving in a way that feels circular(or even cyclical) rather than linear, lending the story a particularly feminine feel. While told in third person, the narration is so close to the perspectives of the two main characters, at times evolving into absolute stream of consciousness, that we understand the inner workings of their minds and motivations, even when their decisions seems suspect. 
If you are a fan of gothic romances, such as Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre, I think this will be a novel you’ll enjoy, as Blake manages to evoke the same feelings of passion and longing, albeit with more likeable love interests. Her lyrical and romantic prose also more closely resembles those classic love stories than it does modern romance novels. 



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