“A must-read—a gorgeous literary novel that asks us to imagine all the possible versions of ourselves that might exist.”—J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of Saints for All OccasionsThe residents of a sleepy mountain town are rocked by troubling visions of an alternate reality in this dazzling debut that combines the family-driven suspense of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires … of Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere with the inventive storytelling of The Immortalists.
In the quiet haven of Clearing, Oregon, four neighbors find their lives upended when they begin to see themselves in parallel realities. Ginny, a devoted surgeon whose work often takes precedence over her family, has a baffling vision of a beautiful co-worker in Ginny’s own bed and begins to doubt the solidity of her marriage. Ginny’s husband, Mark, a wildlife scientist, sees a vision that suggests impending devastation and grows increasingly paranoid, threatening the safety of his wife and son. Samara, a young woman desperately mourning the recent death of her mother and questioning why her father seems to be coping with such ease, witnesses an apparition of her mother healthy and vibrant and wonders about the secrets her parents may have kept from her. Cass, a brilliant scholar struggling with the demands of new motherhood, catches a glimpse of herself pregnant again, just as she’s on the brink of returning to the project that could define her career.
At first the visions are relatively benign, but they grow increasingly disturbing—and, in some cases, frightening. When a natural disaster threatens Clearing, it becomes obvious that the visions were not what they first seemed and that the town will never be the same.
Startling, deeply imagined, and compulsively readable, Kate Hope Day’s debut novel is about the choices we make that shape our lives and determine our destinies—the moments that alter us so profoundly that it feels as if we’ve entered another reality.
Praise for If, Then
“Hope Day has a lot of sly, stealthy fun with time-bending and parallel universes, but she also has serious things to say on urban paranoia, climate change and the atomized nature of modern life.”—Daily Mail
“If, Then has the narrative propulsion of a television show . . . [It’s] a whirlwind of a story.”—Chicago Review of Books
“Effortlessly meshing the dreamlike and the realistic, [Kate Hope] Day’s well-crafted mix of literary and speculative fiction is an enthralling meditation on the interconnectedness of all things.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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Vivid, thought-provoking, and meticulous—Kate Hope Day gives us an illuminating novel that asks us to consider the many paths a single life can offer. Spanning multiple universes, full of exquisite prose and insights that delve into the deepest corners of her characters’ minds, If, Then is a shimmering spectacle, a literary page-turner that satisfies and delights.”
A must-read—a gorgeous literary novel that asks us to imagine all the possible versions of ourselves that might exist . . . My desire to race to the finish was at all times competing with my urge to savor every line.
This unique and profound literary debut is a page-turning wonder to savor.
I had to keep reading so I could find out what happens, but at the same time I didn’t want it to end.
The story and the writing are that good.
I completely got lost in the lives of these fascinating characters.
The premise is this: If we could see alternate versions of ourselves, could we change our fate?
This might sound “heavy” or confusing, but it’s handled, along with the shifting realities, with simplicity, beauty, and grace.
Four neighbors in a mountain town begin to have visions of parallel realities. These visions seem harmless at first, but they grow more troubling and daunting.
When a disaster endangers the town, it appears the visions are not what they first seemed to be.
And Clearing, Oregon will never be the same.
The ending will leave you thinking about the possible existence of a “multiverse” and the Theory of Everything. Just wonderful.
Brilliantly conceived and gorgeously told, it’s an absolute must-read.
More please, Ms. Day!
DNF at 43% –
Oy…this book was a complete bummer. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen, but nothing ever did. I never connected with any of the main characters, and even the ‘parallel realities’ were boring. I thought they would be these exciting flashes of another dimension; however, some of them were so subtle that if you weren’t paying close attention, you’d miss it as being one of the ‘visions.’
Anyway, in my quest to only read books that I enjoy and let go of the ones I don’t, this is a DNF. Two stars instead of one because the writing is fine; it’s just boring. One star is reserved for absolute garbage, and this certainly isn’t garbage. It’s just not up my particular alley.
This riveting story focuses on four neighbors in a suburban area of Oregon. In the shadow of Broken Mountain, a dormant volcano, they all go about their lives until they each start seeing strange visions. Ginny, a general surgeon, keeps seeing her colleague, Edith, in her home and even in her bed. Ginny’s husband, Mark, sees an alternate version of himself, dirty, disheveled and stirring up trouble. Meanwhile, their neighbor Samara sees her recently deceased mother standing on the front lawn and another neighbor, Cass, who is struggling with caring for her newborn baby by herself, visualizes herself pregnant again. As the story progresses, we learn more about what these visions mean for each character and how they all tie together. Day’s writing is lyrical and descriptive and the plot is unique. The medical scenes are perfectly drawn, and I’m a stickler for that!
This is one of those books that leaves a lot to the reader’s interpretation. Not everything is clear and I often found myself confused about what was happening. Even at the end, many questions were left unanswered, leaving the reader to fill in the blanks. I like a book like this once in a while, but I know it may not be up everyone’s alley.
BOOK REVIEW
IF, THEN
KATE HOPE DAY
Thank you to @randomhouse
Kate Hope Day @netgalley
for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
If, Then is strangely intriguing. If I had made this choice, then this would have happened. Everyone thinks that sometimes. One little thing can change the course of an entire life. People in a small Oregon town actually witness themselves from time to time around town, only as different versions of themselves in imagined scenarios. The characters are privy to the reality of speculation and how certain choices would have affected the entire course of their lives. Can you imagine? There’s my neighbor if….then, or there’s my dead mother if…then, or there’s me with a husband and kids, if…then? Seriously, it’s straight up creepy yet absolutely fascinating. Well written, sharp and insightful, this story is layered with complexity in a unique and terrifying world. The premise is so original, and it’s a captivating story from the first page to the last. I highly recommend not missing this one, especially if you’ve ever wondered what might have been.
If, Then is a mind-bending reflection on the nature of free choice and time. What if, just for a moment, we could see the other paths we might have taken? If we collided with alternate versions of ourselves, would we, could we, change our own destinies? Kate Hope Day writes with a tender and vivid attention to the extraordinary details of ordinary lives. This is a fascinating and moving debut novel.
In If, Then, Kate Hope Day negotiates the delicate balance between razor-sharp smarts and pure page-turning entertainment as well as any novel I’ve read—ever. Nothing escapes Day’s deep intellect, from the intricacies of surgery to the real estate business to the effects of climate change—and, of course, the magic of alternate realities. If, Then brings to mind Tom Perrotta’s The Leftovers, the best of Ursula K. Le Guin, Karen Russell, Kelly Link, and maybe even a splash of Stephen King. I suspect that everyone you know will be reading this book for years to come.
I love this book. If, Then is a page-turning, thought-provoking story told in beautiful, lucid prose. I was fully invested in the residents of Clearing, Oregon, and fascinated by the twists and turns of their intersecting paths. In her deeply insightful and unputdownable debut, Kate Hope Day makes us fall in love with her characters, keeps us guessing until the end, and, most of all, inspires us to envision the infinite possibilities for our own lives.
I started off liking If, Then. The author did a great job of setting the groundwork for a great book. Each character (and secondary characters) was relatable in their own way. I was fine with the book until halfway through. Then the book went a different direction. It was that sudden change in the plotline that made me go “Eh?“. I actually had to reread several chapters to understand what I was reading. I do not like when I have to do that.
Like I mentioned above, I liked the characters at the beginning of the book. Each character was relatable and likable. Even when things started to get weird (and man, did they), I still liked them. If I had to pick one who wasn’t a favorite, it was Ginny. She couldn’t make up her mind who she wanted to be with. I wanted to shake her.
I got lost reading the plotline during the 2nd half of the book. What made me lost was Cass’s storyline and the storyline with Other Mark. I had questions about both storylines there were not answered. I can’t get into what they were here but they were legitimate. I also found the main storyline a bit much.
The end of the book seemed rushed. While I am glad that everything worked out, it seemed too pat and a little rushed. I was almost hoping for someone not to have a happy ending. That would have changed things up a little bit.