If, Then

I was expecting something like the Kate Atkinson books, but this one just confused me. The characters could sometimes see their other lives, but only in short glimpses. I found myself bored and skimming some pages.

Normally, while I read, I end up comparing what I am reading to books I have read before. I can't help that, and I can't shut it off. I've tried. For some strange reason while reading If, Then I keep thinking of films. It's fair to say this book reminded me of Ang Lee's The Ice Storm. We meet a ton of characters and we know SOMETHING is going to happen, to all of them. Soon. (Note: I never read the novel, so it may have a similar feel). And it made me think of Take Shelter, a movie I adore. There is a lot to like in If, Then. What I didn't find was something to LOVE. I wasn't engrossed in the story. I kept waiting for the THING to happen. And it's also possible that because I read a ton of speculative fiction and am very used to magical realism, when I am given a plot device of alternate realities and people jumping in and out of them, I kind of expect the author to really USE that in some way. Here it is used in a more literary manner- the alternate universe is a way for the characters to see themselves in another light. It's kind of like how, to me, [b:The Age of Miracles 12401556 The Age of Miracles Karen Thompson Walker https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1342487370s/12401556.jpg 17382941] was more of a coming of age story and not really about the end of the world. This book is not really about alternative realities, and some small part of me has to admit I would have liked it more had it been. One more opinion: I dislike the title very, very much and would have preferred it be called Counterfactuals or, really, anything else.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. It was an easy read, but the story wasn't compelling. I typically enjoy reading about characters in multiple dimensions of time, but how it was portrayed in this book was not that interesting. Very average read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC.