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A review by abbeyroad1410
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
My biggest issue with this book is honestly the fact that it violated its own rule for time travel media which is that they should be a little fun. I really did not qualify this book as a fun read , mostly because in almost every scene that could have been fun, Alice (the main character) was whining.
On the other hand, as someone who is very interested in the idea of time travel, multiverses, and the butterfly effect, I appreciated the fact that the novel acknowledged every single theory of time travel. It even went so far as to acknowledge the lack of clarity on whether multiverse theory is real. Coming from that angle, this book is fascinating and very enjoyable.
Another thing I loved about this novel was Alice's persistent friendship with Sam. I feel it is rare to feel the deepness of a friendship between two female characters. Here, you could feel the clear shift in their dynamic from childhood friends to adulthood, but you could tell they still had an underlying sense of security with each other and trust.
Now to address the part of the book that disturbed me the most. Forty-year-old Alice goes back in time to when she is 16 and occupies a 16-year old body. During this time, she sleeps with Tommy who is 18 (and does not know she is a 40-year-old woman). The novel tries to justify this within the text, and somehow that made it even creepier to me.
Overall, the book was enjoyable, albeit slow at times, but it is probably not a book I will go back to often unless I really want to contemplate the logistics of time travel. Also, kudos to Ursula the cat for surviving the entire book.
On the other hand, as someone who is very interested in the idea of time travel, multiverses, and the butterfly effect, I appreciated the fact that the novel acknowledged every single theory of time travel. It even went so far as to acknowledge the lack of clarity on whether multiverse theory is real. Coming from that angle, this book is fascinating and very enjoyable.
Another thing I loved about this novel was Alice's persistent friendship with Sam. I feel it is rare to feel the deepness of a friendship between two female characters. Here, you could feel the clear shift in their dynamic from childhood friends to adulthood, but you could tell they still had an underlying sense of security with each other and trust.
Now to address the part of the book that disturbed me the most. Forty-year-old Alice goes back in time to when she is 16 and occupies a 16-year old body. During this time, she sleeps with Tommy who is 18 (and does not know she is a 40-year-old woman). The novel tries to justify this within the text, and somehow that made it even creepier to me.
Overall, the book was enjoyable, albeit slow at times, but it is probably not a book I will go back to often unless I really want to contemplate the logistics of time travel. Also, kudos to Ursula the cat for surviving the entire book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent