In December 1992 four teenagers head to the movies to see the blockbuster film version of the Eons & Empires comics.
Adam is counting the days until he graduates. When his long-time crush invites him to the movies, he figures it’s his last chance to get the one thing he’s ever wanted in the town he can’t wait to leave.
In Cincinnati, Sharon can barely explain how much Eons & Empires means to her. She can’t imagine the horror of watching the movie with people who don’t understand her passion. Sharon’s decision to skip school to watch the movie on her own leads to potentially devastating consequences.
Technically, Phoebe kisses Oliver first in the cafeteria of their suburban Chicago high school. But it’s Ollie who asks Phoebe on a date and suggests they go see the big new release. Neither of them knows much about the comics but the movie should be a nice setting for their first date (and maybe more kissing). Or it would be if Phoebe’s kid brother would stop following them around and they could avoid everyone they know.
Seeing the movie on opening night will shape all of their lives in unpredictable ways over the next twenty years as their paths cross around the world and across the country. Their lives will entwine as they become friends and lovers, leaving indelible marks on each other. One small decision will have countless ramifications for each of them in In Some Other World, Maybe (2015) by Shari Goldhagen.
In Some Other World, Maybe alternates point of view between Adam, Phoebe, Sharon, and Oliver. Except for Oliver all of the narratives are written in third person. Oliver’s, by contrast, is a second person narration which lends a strange sense of foreboding to his passages.
These characters lives play out and intersect over twenty years against a backdrop of world events ranging from 9/11 to Sully Sullenberger landing his plane in the Hudson. The scope and reach of this story belies the relatively short length of the book.
Goldhagen explores the significant and seemingly meaningless ways people can pass through each others’ lives in this deceptively straightforward novel. Hypotheticals and alternate possibilities loom large for each character–a motif that contrasts well with the idea of parallel worlds which are key to the premise of Eons & Empires.
None of the characters are perfect here. Mistakes are made, lives are messy, and sometimes there is no way to fix that. Just like in real life. Adam, Phoebe, Sharon and Oliver aren’t always likable. They are not always at their best. But who is? In this complicated and confusing world, sometimes all you can do is keep waking up and keep trying. Which these characters do as best they can.
This story offers thoughtful commentary on the ways in which compromising and striving can start to look a lot alike. An introspective meditation on growing up and growing apart filled with characters who are shockingly memorable and utterly authentic, In Some Other World, Maybe is a novel guaranteed to leave a lasting impression. Highly recommended.
Possible Pairings: Invincible Summer by Alice Adams, Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore, The Decent Proposal by Kemper Donovan, The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie Sue Hitchcock, Infinite In Between by Carolyn Mackler, Parallel by Lauren Miller, Where Futures End by Parker Peeveyhouse, The Square Root of Summer by Harrier Reuter Hapgood, All the Feels by Danika Stone, Pivot Point by Kasie West
*A copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*
Miss Print 