This book is an absolute gem.
I thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend to anyone who appreciates a thought provoking read that repeatedly flips back layers of narrative upon itself gradually building to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion.
This is time travel presented from an entirely fresh and unique perspective. I was enticed to read through a promise of an imagined tomorrow that was not the gloom and doom of a human trajectory that was determinedly and inevitably downhill. This imaginative approach paints a world – constrained by technology – but finding a new social and ecological future.
Making a decision not to reveal any spoilers constrains from me addressing much more of the content, suffice it to say that Mastai brings a screenwriting approach to storytelling that does not demean the readers intelligence, but instead challenges her or him to participate in the tale. Casting some lovely twists, Mastai layers narrative and story arcs without losing the reader. The added layers add complexity but don’t hamper clarity. Instead they challenge reinterpretation of earlier understanding and keep the reader carried along, guessing and seeking until the well-deserved and brilliantly conceived conclusion.
Bottomline: it makes you think and reconsider your perceptions or what is and what might be. Brilliant.
ps. I wish this was one of bookclub reads.