We Were the Universe
Singular ... The ride could not be more rewarding; Parsons’s transgressive boldness allows us to feel the soul in places that moderation simply cannot reach ... Discursive modules open up context and click the kaleidoscopic lens of perspective, deepening and expanding everything we thought we knew ... Though the book’s end brings a curtain-drop twist that is the plot-based equivalent of sudden mescaline clarity and awe, equally moving are the moments of joy found in the imagined interiority of Kit’s own fantasies.
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The novel’s structure — present-day scenes that alternate with extensive flashbacks — proves to be a brilliant choice. The back and forth can be destabilizing, which is the point: It echoes the specific language of grief, the constant distractions, memories that pop up unbidden, a special kind of emotional torment that never really goes away ... A stunning novel, filled with compassion and an understanding of what it means to be a person in the world who wants — needs — to withdraw, but for too many reasons to count, can’t ... Beautiful.
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If you’re in the market for a sad yet funny yet hopeful book, We Were the Universe might be it.
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