Episode 11: Multiple Realities
Summary: Today, Holly and Devin explore uncharted territories with books that center around multiple realities, sometimes referred to as multiverses. While the two books vary wildly in terms of actual plot and the structure of the realities, they agree that a multiverse opens an author up to explore themes like grief, privilege, and identity in unique ways. Overall, there are many more thrillers with multiple realities versus romances, but when done well they are guaranteed enjoyable reads.
Topics Discussed:
The Dagger (2:22): Holly discussed The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson, a post-apocalyptic story of a world in which multiverse travel is possible. Her key takeaways were:
Cara, the protagonist, is able to travel to almost 400 other universes because the version of herself on those worlds has already died; this makes her a perfect candidate for multiverse travel since you cannot travel to a dimension in which you are still alive.
This book explores identity in a unique way; as Cara bops between worlds, you get to see other versions of the characters you know from “Earth Zero,” exploring how they are similar or totally different.
There is an interesting tension between science and spirituality, and unique power dynamics since the least privileged people on Earth Zero are the most appealing candidates for multiverse travel (since they are more likely to have died already in the other universes).
The Heart (18:53): Devin discussed The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver, a romance that begins with the death of the love of Lydia’s life. Her key takeaways were:
Once she begins to take sleep meds to help with her grief, Lydia’s life is split between two worlds: Awake and Asleep. When she sleeps, she continues to live a life where Freddie, her fiancé, never died in a car accident on her 29th birthday.
Silver explores grief through this multiverse exercise; how can Lydia reconcile (or not) the worlds in which Freddie still exists and the “more real” one in which he does not? Is escaping into Asleep as much as possible the best way forward?
Lydia is surrounded by powerful characters such as her sister, Elle, who help her navigate a future she never expected, and the path to becoming a person she never expected, turning the novel from a strict romance into an exploration of myriad kinds of love and how they prop us up or weaken us.
Hot On the Shelf (35:23):
Holly: Hide by Kiersten White
Devin: Bittersweet by Susan Cain
What’s Making Our Hearts Race (39:56):
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