In Universes: A Novel
An epic SF novel in which multiple universes carry the echoes of family and choice in different forms.
Work Information
Even when universes split apart, relationships remain in altered forms.
An English-language SF novel that follows the connections that remain even as worlds branch apart, on an expansive scale.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Harper
- Published
- 2024-04-30
- Pages
- 240 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 13.97 x 2.01 x 20.96 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9780063314870
- ISBN-10
- 0063314878
- Price
- 4727 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Mystery & Thrillers/Thrillers/Psychological & Suspense
*Shortlisted for the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize in Fiction* NEW YORK TIMES' 10 BEST SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY BOOKS OF THE YEAR An Esquire and Literary Hub Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of the Year • An Autostraddle Best Queer Book of 2024 • A Best Pride Read by People and Brit + Co • A Parade Best New Book Release • A Best New Science Fiction Book by New Scientist • A Most Anticipated Book of 2024 by Tor.com, Bustle , Literary Hub, Autostraddle , Gizmodo, IGN, and Lilith Magazine • Winner of the Otherwise Award • Long-listed for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award For fans of Emily St. John Mandel and Kelly Link, a kaleidoscopic debut literary science fiction novel set in numerous universes, which follows a queer physicist’s search for belonging across time and space. Raffi works in an observational cosmology lab, searching for dark matter and trying to hide how little they understand their own research. Every chance they get, they escape to see Britt, a queer sculptor who fascinates them for reasons they also can’t―or won’t―understand. As Raffi’s carefully constructed life begins to collapse, they become increasingly fixated on the multiverse―a core conceit in this moving work of speculative fiction―and the idea that somewhere, there may be a universe where they mean as much to Britt as Britt does to them . . . and just like that, Raffi and Britt are thirteen years old, on the cusp of friendship, and maybe something more. A meditation on self-destruction and reconstruction, In Universes is a mind-bending tour across parallel worlds, each an answer to the question of what Raffi’s life would be like if they had made slightly different choices. The universes grow increasingly strange as Raffi flees the ever-present specter of guilt: women fracture into hordes of animals; alien-possessed bears prowl apocalyptic landscapes. But across worlds, Raffi―with their sometimes-friends, sometimes-lovers Britt, Kay, and Graham―reaches for a life that feels authentically their own. Blending realism with science fiction, In Universes explores the thirst for genius, the fluidity of gender and identity, and the pull of despair against the desire to lead a meaningful life, insisting on the transgressive power of hope even in the darkest of times. "Baffingly good." – Jordy Rosenberg, author of Confessions of the Fox " A miracle of physics and art." – Julia Phillips, author of Disappearing Earth What happens when the search for a different life fractures reality itself?
EMET NORTH has lived in a dozen states over the past decade and has no fixed residence, though they feel most at home in the mountains. In previous lives, they worked in an observational cosmology lab on a grant from NASA, taught snowboarding in Montana, researched Lie algebras, led wine tastings, waited tables, trained horses, and wrote a thesis on the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. They translate from Spanish to English with a particular focus on queer and trans voices and are always looking for new projects.
Reviews
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Beautiful and unforgettable
I read In Universes several months ago, and I still can't get it out of my head. It's seriously like no other book I've read. People looking for a straight-forward sci-fi tale are in the wrong place. This is a beautiful exploration of identity and relationships, of the ways people evolve and stay the same. Each section is a self-contained story in a different universe, and while the universes get increasingly bizarre (in seriously unique ways I could never have imagined), the characters and their actions ring true no matter how strange their surroundings. There are a lot of books I love even though they're similar to tons of other books. In Universes is completely unique, refreshing, genuine piece of art.
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Disappointing.
From the description I thought this was a novel about somebody travelling to parallel dimensions, a genre that I like. Okay, it isn't that - it's just a row of chapters, each about the same persons in a different life/universe. That could still be interesting, but I lost interest along the way. It just couldn't convince me, or things didn't get more interesting as I proceeded. Some universes are a bit like our own, but with deviations that are grotesque (motherhordes, octupuses) and that the writer does not manage to make plausible, and some chapters have such a wiedespread use of genderneutral pronouns - with the best intentions, and not something I think is wrong - that is becomes hard to read for me. But well, if the story lines and protagonists were interesting I would probably accept that, but I made to just after halfway and then decided it was going nowhere. Anyway, see it for yourself and prove me wrong, because the concept is interesting enough, it just wasn't for me I guess.
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Mind-bendingly Good
Highly recommend. Intense read.
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Brilliant and moving queer universes
Loved it
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Not what I expected
I love the multiverse genre and all books and movies associated with it. I thought this book would satisfy my passion for this interest but lo and behold its main theme was the expression of queer identity. Why make a book that is fully perpetuating the author’s sexuality? At least be more witty about it and integrate it into the storyline with a compelling justification, but, nope, it’s not that. It’s pure and in your face, gay proclivities and emotions. This is not a multiverse story as it is more an exploration of the gender confusion experienced by the author. Big thumbs down! I returned it.
Related Literary Awards
- Otherwise Award Edition 32 (2024) ・award