You Have Arrived at Your Destination
Ratings120
Average rating3.4
I liked this one! It's more litfic than sci-fi, but that's okay. I see reviews going into detail about the plot, so I won't do that.
I'm still thinking about the Jemisin story in this collection, and these two work really well together. If we decide there is an ideal life, whose ideals are we upholding? Both stories raise that question, but this one is much subtler. I could probably write a lot about it and it isn't very long. I'll just talk about one thing.
I noticed that all the Daniels had to figure everything out for themselves, with no family support post-college, while the bartender's (unfinished) story ends with his family helping the daughter with whatever she's going through. Sam, in contrast, because of having to help his own father, seems to have rejected the whole concept of being there for his family; he doesn't even know why his wife chose Daniel 2 as one of the options.
It's a really interesting story. I have been meaning to read this author's novels, so maybe I'll do that soon.
This is part of the Amazon Original ‘Forward Collection' curated by Blake Crouch. This is my first experience with the author, and as I believe they mostly write historical fiction, this kind of fit right in for them as a futuristic version of history. These are available through prime for free on kindle or audible!
Imagine in the future that gene altering has gotten to the point where you can literally choose the directional beats your child's life would go down. Fertility companies can do more than just pregnancies, they can give you glimpses of the life your child may lead, give you options, and let you even choose which you'd prefer. But would you be able to watch a programmed sample of 30 years of their life and just accept that you chose it all for them?
This one was deeply thought provoking, challenging the reader to think about their own lives, or that of their children (future or existing). How would you feel taking the steering wheel for someone else? Or finding out that it had been taken from you? I'll be thinking about this one for quite a while.
Personally a 5/5*. Chilling in its near future feels.
Wasn't sure what to expect, but I love Amor Towles's stuff so... This was interesting. I wish it was a little longer, but otherwise it was good. The afterward about the collection of short stories makes me interested in reading the others.
(I'm counting this cuz I've also read some big books, so I figure it averages out a bit.)
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Snijdt een heel interessant onderwerp aan dat mij althans ongemakkelijk doet voelen, gezien de wetenschap toch dichter en dichter bij dit kunnen komt. Het verhaal begon dan ook heel intrigerend en ik was benieuwd waar het naar zou leiden. Naar nergens, zo blijkt, wat nogal ironisch is gezien de titel van het verhaal. Of was dit nu net de pointe?
“But our genes don't merely express who we are”
The Forward Collection has been amazing so far... okay, maybe except for “Ark” by Veronica Roth. This is my first Towles read and I must say I'm impressed. Four down, two more stories to go.
In a not so distant future you can go and knock on Vitek's door, a fertility and genetic engineering company, if you feel like having a child. Blue or black eyes? Girl or boy? Tall? That's just peanuts to them; they can go beyond and work on the contours of your child's personality based on the parent's profiles. What's even more shocking is that they can later create video projections of how your son's life could be. C-R-E-E-P-Y. This is about the moral implications of such technology and the rediscovery of your own feelings and decisions.
Mr. Towles, you are on my radar now.
3.5 starsThe writing is spectacular, the characters are well fleshed out and the story is intriguing. I just thought the ending was a bit abrupt and I disagree with the bartender!A spoiler/rant: The protagonist's father sold everything and bought a copper mine, which got the family into debts and made the protagonist's life miserable. The bartender was offended that the protagonist criticizes his father, because the bartender is also a father and he and his wife had to struggle to make ends meet, but at the end of the day - they made it work and their children were not resentful. Good for you, mate, but your struggles were not a result of a careless decision no one in the family consented to. Also, there are many ways parents can fail their children and children should be able to vent, or learn from your mistakes and aspire not to repeat them. As a parent, you need to accept the fact that bringing the child into this world is your choice, not theirs, and you have almost complete control over your child's formative years, so please don't bitch about your children being ungrateful. Sorry, you don't get that luxury. Moreover, the problems this character faces are a result of America's wild capitalism, but the author turns it into a feel-good story, which I also find a bit annoying. It is, however, super wide-spread and has been normalized over decades, so I can't really blame him.My reviews for the other Forward stories: Emergency Skin by [a: N.K. Jemisin 2917917 N.K. Jemisin https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1438215930p2/2917917.jpg] ★★★★★Summer Frost by [a: Blake Crouch 442240 Blake Crouch https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1479398727p2/442240.jpg] ★★★★★Ark by [a: Veronica Roth 4039811 Veronica Roth https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1544540525p2/4039811.jpg] ★★★★☆The Last Conversation by [a: Paul Tremblay 648612 Paul Tremblay https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1415058580p2/648612.jpg] ★★★☆☆Randomize by [a: Andy Weir 6540057 Andy Weir https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1382592903p2/6540057.jpg] ★★★☆☆
My ranking of this Collection of Short Stories from favorite to least favorite:
1) BOOK 2: Summer Frost by Blake Crouch
2) BOOK 4: You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles
3) BOOK 3: Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin
4) BOOK 5: The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay
5) BOOK 6: Randomize by Andy Weir
6) BOOK 1: Ark by Veronica Roth