Blending elements of romance, magical realism, mystery and science fiction, Gibson has crafted a unique story that grabs your attention right from the start and never lets go.
Autistic-coded Elizabeth Bergstrom has suffered from selective mutism for 2 years following the death of her abusive ex-husband in a car accident she survived. She met him shortly after her ex-boyfriend Brandon broke up with her and married him on the rebound. As the story opens, we meet Brandon’s brother Christopher who works with her at the Portland Museum of Natural History where he takes pleasure in charmingly goading her, in the hopes he’ll get her to talk. Soon after, she learns that Brandon died many years before and wishes for a do-over. Be careful what you wish for because she wakes up five years in the past. Almost immediately, Elizabeth begins to see past events from a different perspective, but she also has to decide what actions she’ll take to rewrite her future. Surprisingly, she’s still mute, but when she reconnects with Christopher to try to save Brandon, she learns that he can read her thoughts and believes that she’s from the future, making the entire process easier.
There’s never a dull moment in this story, from the ex-husband who is so much worse than she ever knew to her sister who acts as if Elizabeth is incapable of rational thought because she can’t speak (and makes selfish, damaging decisions as a result). The reason behind Brandon’s coma reads like a combination of science fiction and a bloody, psychological thriller, but there’s also a beautiful romance and a few dashes of magical realism with an invisible cloak, time travel, and mind-reading. Gibson also sensitively tackles grief, guilt, scientific ethics, ableism, and domestic violence without these heavy topics weighing down or stalling the narrative.
If you’re looking for a complex story that will keep you riveted and at the edge of your seat, pick this one up. This would be an excellent choice for a book club given how much fodder there is for discussion. I only wish that a major publisher was behind this book because it deserves a wider audience. Highly recommended.
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are strictly my own.
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