Starred review from February 15, 2024
In 1998 Ohio, a teen's split-second decision underscores the different trajectories that lives can take. One summer afternoon, Elise, who's late for her fast-food job at the mall, attempts to pass a slow-moving vehicle as a garbage truck approaches from the opposite direction. Dunlap explores two different outcomes against the backdrop of physicist Hugh Everett's Many Worlds theory. Alternating chapters follow violinist Anna, who feels the pressure of having a perfectionist mother, and Liam, whose heavy metal band takes precedence over choral commitments at school. In Anna's chapters, no accident occurs: She attempts to live up to her mother's expectations at the expense of intense wrist pain, navigates her friendship with Elise (who doesn't understand Anna's intensity), and has awkward run-ins with Liam, Elise's cousin and Anna's crush since childhood. Liam's chapters include an impromptu escape from Elise's wake with Anna and their subsequent conversations about grief. Liam, who lost his older brother as a child, is no stranger to Anna's feelings of emptiness and guilt. Over time, the two find healing in expressing their stories through music and eventually share their work publicly. Dunlap masterfully weaves together common occurrences in the two storylines, all of which add depth. Liam's and Anna's alternating voices are honest and raw as they deal with substance abuse, sexual exploitation, and controlling relationships. Neither scenario ends neatly, but the story ends by highlighting hope and connection. Characters are cued white. A thought-provoking, beautifully executed exploration of choices and possibilities. (Fiction. 13-18)
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April 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 In a multiverse of possible outcomes, two universes unfold in which a pair of teenagers explore the unlikely yet undeniable magnetism they have with each other. Anna is a proficient violinist with nervous tendencies, while Liam, a virtuoso singer, has a lack of direction. Their connection is the wildly sporadic Elise, Liam's cousin and Anna's childhood friend. In one world, Elise's tragic death brings Liam and Anna together, the pair relieving their grief through their passion for music. In the world where Elise is alive, each teen detests and admires the other. The story traces the randomness of loss and heartbreak, raising the question of whether Anna and Liam's love might flourish in one of these worlds. Dunlap integrates sf into her newest YA romance, and her inclusion of quantum physics in relation to having a soulmate will receive approval from readers craving thought-provoking ideas about human existence. A pensive, sweet melody of a novel about intertwined destinies.
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May 10, 2024
Gr 9 Up-This clever book addresses quantum physics-that there are multiple universes that exist in parallel where different choices are made. In this case, the focus is on two: one where Liam's cousin and Anna's best friend Elise dies, and one where she does not. In both worlds, Anna and Liam find each other. Each section begins with a quote from a quantum physicist; the name of Liam's band is Dark, Dark Matter. Reminiscent of Jennifer E. Smith's The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, this book will attract readers who like to be challenged to think more deeply. The novel is set somewhat back in time near Cleveland, OH, although not too far back (there are landlines instead of cell phones). This novel is about love and loss, specifically death, and how we deal with it. Liam has the added burden of an older brother who died when he was five. In fact, the reason Liam even exists was so he could provide a bone marrow transplant to save his brother, which did not work out. Readers may find this book initially confusing until they figure out that the chapter heading "left" means one world, "right" means another. Contains sex, but not explicit, and cursing. VERDICT This title will prove intriguing, both for high school students taking physics and fans of romance. A thought-provoking read for those who like realistic fiction with a scientific twist.-Deanna McDaniel
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