Moving but a Little Slow

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jjb119 Avatar

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I wanted to love this book. I adore Sliding Doors-type stories, and there were some really interesting and powerful philosophical/moral issues at play. I also thought the sentence-level writing was strong.

The initial pages, though, set me up for a mysterious mood that didn't quite play out in the rest of the book. While part of me appreciated the author's commitment to realism—what happens to Maria when she travels back in time is likely what would truly happen in those circumstances—it didn't feel like the most interesting possible version of the story. And the most significant conflict was internal, so it was difficult to fully appreciate how the protagonist ultimately makes her decision.

But while the journey to get there left me slightly bored, the ending (no spoilers!) was excellent. I wish more space had been given to it, as I had to read the last few pages several times to pick up on all the nuance, but the ideas expressed in it were beautiful.