Wednesday, February 08, 2017

Bookish Thoughts: All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai

So, the thing is, I come from the world we were supposed to have. ~ Opening of All Our Wrong Todays



All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai
Dutton, 2017
Science Fiction/Literary Fiction; 384 pgs
Source: E-copy provided by publisher via The First Reads Program for an honest review.

From the first chapter, I fell into the novel quickly, enjoying the conversational style of the narration, written as a memoir by the lead character, Tom Barren. He's witty, kind and a bit self-deprecating, which only adds to his charm. At thirty-two, Tom has little ambition. His mother died recently and his father cares more about his work than he does about his son. Still Tom's father, a noted scientist working on a time travel machine, gives Tom a plum position in his organization as the understudy to former astronaut turned chrononaut, Penelope. A reckless decision leads to catastrophe, and soon the course of the world as Tom knows it is changed forever.

Tom comes from a utopia version of 2016, a time and place that looks a lot like the science fiction we dreamed about in the 1950's. Imagine a world with flying cars, teleportation, and space vacations. Tom's impulsive actions disrupt the timeline continuum, and he finds the future completely changed. You and I recognize it as our own reality. Tom sees a dystopian wasteland. All is not bad on this altered timeline, however. For once, his life seems to have purpose. Tom soon finds himself faced with a difficult decision: to try to fix the break in the timeline that he helped create or do what he can to hold onto his newfound family, love, and life.

After a great start, the novel slowed down for me a bit, and I began to question whether I would be able to finish the book. Given the narrative style of the novel, the reader spends a lot of time in Tom's head. His internal dialogue and thought processes seemed to go in circles at times. I am glad I stuck with it though because the novel does pick up again, and from then on I was hooked right until the very end.

I admit I wasn't completely sold on Tom at first, but the more I got to know him, the more I came to like him. Seeing him grow and develop as a character over the course of the novel helped with that. His experiences helped shape him as did the people in his life. His distant father in his version of 2016 left a lot to be desired, but like Tom, I was smitten with his family in our version of 2016. Both his mother and girlfriend are quite bookish--and that may have had something to do with it. His family proves to be very supportive of him, even as they question his sanity. Heck, even I found myself questioning his sanity a time or two.

At times I found the technical aspects a bit confusing, but, in many ways, this only added to the credibility of the narrator, who for all intents and purposes is writing a memoir of the events he experienced throughout his life, particularly his time traveling exploits. I am not sure I ever fully understood the intricacies of how Tom was able to keep his own consciousness and memories throughout the process, although he did attempt to explain it.

All Our Wrong Todays is a fascinating literary novel, weaving science, science fiction, romance, family drama, and a little bit of action in. Mind-bending is an apt description too. Overall, I enjoyed All Our Wrong Todays and will be curious to see what Elan Mastai writes next.


To learn more about Elan Mastai and his work, please visit the author's website. You can also find him on Twitter and Facebook.


© 2017, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

28 comments:

  1. Sounds like an interesting book! I haven't really thought of this reality as being dystopian, but now that you mention it, I can see how it'd appear that way.

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    1. Eustacia - I thought it was quite interesting-different from what I normally gravitate towards. Yes, our world definitely would seem dystopian in comparison to the one he came from.

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  2. I've been on the fence about this book and, after reading your review, I think it might not be for me.

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    1. Kathy - I understand. I liked it , but I imagine it wouldn't be to everyone's taste.

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  3. I love the concept of our world being the alternate reality! What a fun spin on time travel! I don't think this is a book for me but I know a couple of people who would love it so I may buy a copy or two. I'll be sure to warn them about the slow spot!

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    1. Katherine - I thought so too! I hope the people you think will like this book do. It's a bit different than my usual read, but well worth it.

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  4. I read a lot more science fiction while I was growing up than I do now, but I'm really tempted by this novel. Might have to give it a try. :)

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    1. Lark - If you do, I hope you like it. It is not your typical science fiction novel.

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  5. I've seen this one mentioned quite a bit and I'm pretty interested even if it's not my usual read. Glad you enjoyed this one!

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    1. Iliana - I enjoy books about time travel, but wasn't sure what to expect with this one. If you decide to read it, I hope you like it.

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  6. This doesn't sound like my usual read but your review makes me want to explore it more. :)

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    1. Melody - I think it's worth checking out. It's different than anything else I've read.

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  7. I have seen some talk about this book but I really didn't know what it was about. I think I would enjoy this one. Great review!

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    1. Carole - I hope you like it if you decide to give it a try!

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  8. I have trouble with most time travel novels, but this one does sound interesting.

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    1. Jenclair - There is a lot of science in this one to try and make sense of time travel. I think the author did a good job of making it believable. This book definitely has a more literary quality to it, especially the first half.

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  9. This sounds pretty good. I like the subject matter and I enjoy "head" stories. I talk to myself quite a bit so I can relate. Haha.

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  10. Dystopian is not my scene but this sounds an intriguing one.

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    1. Mystica - This isn't really a dystopian novel--unless you believe we are living in a dystopian world right now. Which I'm sure some would argue is the case.

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  11. This sounds really interesting, and I'm curious since it's mentioned that it's literary science fiction. I love the idea of "our" 2016 being the dystopian future he discovers after a mistake- neat idea. I may add this one. :)

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    1. Greg - I would be curious to hear your take on this Greg, especially given your reading experience.

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  12. This book is new to me. Interesting that this "future" is now in the past (slightly). I like the idea of literary fiction mixed with science and technology. Excellent review! I will keep this book in mind.

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    1. Suko - Yes, it is interesting how the author set the book in our present (now past). If you do read this one, I hope you like it. I found it quite interesting, although admittedly not my usual type of read.

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  13. I'm not sure I'd choose to read it, but your review has me a bit curious. Jason might like this more than I would!

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