The Quick Cut: A teen guy finds himself being thrown into parallel universes after experiencing a head injury. Drama ensues when those universes make him question reality. A Real Review:
The choices you make today affect tomorrow. That may be a common trope, but it doesn't make it any less true. Do you ever wonder what your life would look like if you made a different decision? This becomes reality for Ash.
Ash is your typical football player when he suffers a serious head injury on the field and finds that life as he knows it is subtly changing. Where stop signs used to be red, now they're blue and everyone claims they have always been that way. The changes start subtle and small and continually grow to change reality in a way that he can't imagine would ever be true. Is there any way he can find his way back to the life he knows? Or is he stuck in this new world forever?
I love Neal Shusterman, but I can't help feeling disappointed with this one. His best books come from taking controversial or deep topics and putting a nuanced spin on it in a fantasy world. This story attempts to pull that same magic, but falls flat for one very specific reason: the topic selected is far too typical and standard considering today's society. Considering his usual stories tackle areas that aren't as highly discussed, this makes it all less intriguing. I want a book that makes me question what I never considered and this didn't do that.
Ash's experience is centered around the topics of privilege and the consequences of actions. The parallel universes he ends up at change him in many different ways The different versions end up bringing up topics such as sexism, racism, and homophobia. You can maybe tackle one of these topics well in a 300+ page book, but all three? All you end up doing is skimming these areas at best. Plus, the way they're handled feels more than a little stereotypical with the way he goes "wow, now that I'm in these shoes...".
Ash isn't likable as a character either. I get that this was done on purpose in order to have his character grow by the end, but I still didn't like him in the end. He chose to be oblivious to these issues that existed in the school and society around him. Even when they're put in his face, he still acts like a jerk too often for my taste. A big part of me wanted this book to end badly (and yes, I know how terrible that sounds).
A story that attempts to tackle too many relevant issues better discussed in other books already.
My rating: 3 out of 5
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