Member Reviews
Wow. Just wow. This book is going to give me a hangover in the best sort of way. I know that I will be thinking about this story for days if not weeks. It kept me on my toes, it made me laugh it made me cry. I already know that this is going to be one of my favorite books of the year!
Hannah has been a mother to sweet, lively Jack for 8 months. Hannah also has a vivid memory of Jack dying at birth. Her husband Adam insists it never happened, how could it have when Jack is with them? When Hannah and Adam find Jack has disappeared from his crib in broad daylight, the race is on to find him and figure out where exactly he is before it’s too late. This book surprised me in the best way possible! I cared about Hannah and Jack and couldn’t wait to see how their story would turn out. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Massive trigger warnings: death of an infant, postpartum psychosis/depression, loss of a parent.
Imagine that you give birth to your beautiful, living baby. But, in another world, you give birth to a baby that never takes a breath of life. All these different worlds, all these different possibilities.
This book was a wild ride. I love a good sci-fi story, and this did not disappoint. If you are a mother, this will hit you right in the heart.
Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you Yael Goldstein-Love, Netgalley, and Random House for this free ARC in exchange for a review.
I couldn't put this multiple universes novel down; it kept my attention throughout.
The only thing I would have wanted different, was how it was all resolved so quickly, with little to no explanation, and with the mother having disappeared.
The Possibilities by Yael Goldstein-Love was the absolute best!
I have never been so impressed and excited about a book before.
But this one really was a great read.
The writing was amazing and the characters really blew me away.
I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.
“I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
Random House,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC
What an incredible book.
Talk about the sheer impressiveness of being a mother. The emotions wrapped up into this mind-bending proclamation of love that exists between a mother and her child burrowed into my chest. I have never felt particularly fond of having children and I've never looked at a mother and found it utterly impressive and almost holy. Hannah changed that for me.
Hannah, is a new mom who swears, that eight months ago, she watched her newborn son die during childbirth. But that cannot possibly be right when she has spent the last eight-months raising him. Then one day, realities blend and she watches as her son flickers in and out of this universe right before her eyes. Her desperation to keep him safe is chalked up to postpartum psychosis and the closest people in her life, disregard her. Hannah is alone and helpless as her infant son begins to be wiped from existence from photos to memories. To save him, she must venture to alternate realities, and the multiverse, to chase him through time and bring him back.
Yael crafted this story with such a precise blend of intellect and vulnerability that there was not a second I found myself lost with boredom. I've read some other reviews where readers find the storyline too muddled for their liking, or they got lost in the technicalities of the multiverse. Let me say, it's not that deep. The parallel universe aspect that Goldstein-Love weaves into this tragedy, a quest for both control and love, is original. Its fresh, its electric. I wasn't confused for a second, so if you find yourself a little terrified of the science aspect, don't let that drag you down. I promise The Possibilities is more impressive than chaotic. I wouldn't have ever thought to describe this story as confusing.
I can confidently say The Possibilities is one of the most anticipated novels of this year and upon release, will surely take off.
“The Possibilities” by Yael Goldstein Love is a heartwarming and thought-provoking novel that explores the depths of a mother's love for her child and the lengths she will go to protect him. The story follows a mother whose child has gone missing, or seems to have gone missing in a world that is suddenly upside down. As her marriage is falling apart, the protagonist is introduced to the concept of multiple universes, with various impacts on her family and her own ability to determine what is real. Through a blend of science fiction and emotional depth, Love masterfully explores the concept of choice and the ultimate decision one must make to protect those they love.
The science fiction aspects of a world with multiple universes is particularly well thought-out and described. Love’s style of writing is beautiful, with a great depth of feeling, and the characters are richly developed. Her main character in particular has a role that takes many emotional twists and turns. The book held me to the very end, and then surprised me with the choice this mother made (though in hindsight, she couldn’t really have made any other).
“The Possibilities” is a must-read for anyone who appreciates a well-crafted story with a powerful message. This book will leave you feeling inspired, touched, and moved by the power of a mother's love. I appreciate the publisher’s willingness to give me a pre-release version of the book, but I’ve already pre-ordered my own copy. You should as well!
Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-ARC via NetGalley.
This book. THIS BOOK. I seriously cannot stop thinking about this book. I was so engrossed that I read it in less than one day.
Imagine that you are a new parent and horrifyingly discover that your child literally disappeared from their crib. What would you do? This premise is one that will resonate with all new parents, as I’m sure it’s a fear most of us have experienced. Highly recommended for those who enjoy thrillers and sci fi.
Thank you Netgalley!
This book is beautifully written but it was a little hard for me to follow. It was hard to figure out what was happening in Hannah’s dimension. The descriptions and explanations of the dimensions is very scientific and was a little hard to follow along. I wasn’t expecting that, I thought this was a thriller but looking at the information about the book it says sci fi. I’m not sure where I got it being a thriller. But I think people will really like the creativity of the book and the sci fi parts. One of the only problems I had with this book was the way the quotes at the beginning of the part was almost impossible to read on my kindle. But on the kindle app I could read it because you can zoom in. But overall this book was great and I think I will be a great book club book.
One struggles to figure out exactly how to begin describing a book like this. This is a book about motherhood and alternate timelines and grief and panic and postpartum anxiety and a lot more than that. If you're hoping for a thriller, this is not the book for you - it is so much more complicated and whimsical and abstract than what fans of that genre usually enjoy. But if you're looking for a layered, science fiction treatise on motherhood as a hero quest, then this is going to be an absolute treat. It's honestly nothing like anything I've read before. If I had to anchor it in something, it gives me vibes of Ashley Audrain's The Push (except more sci fi than simple fiction) and almost like Gillian McAllister's Wrong Place Wrong Time (except imagine running McAllister's motherhood and time travel-based domestic thriller through the sci-fi blender instead).
At times, it teetered into being a little abstract for me, and it could feel a little slow in those moments, but then the subsequent part would always be fast-paced enough to pull me back in. I think this will be an incredibly thought-provoking and much-discussed novel upon its release!
Disclaimer: The protagonist is, by the very nature of the subject of the book, in a really anxious and panic-stricken mindset throughout the book and it's done very effectively in order to be disorienting in line with the plot, but I just wanted to share that in case perhaps as a new mother or expectant mother (or as someone who has experienced a recent loss), it's not what you're up for at this very moment.
What if your world, and your baby’s world, was just one of the infinite possibilities of how his life could have gone?
What if you can see into those other possible worlds?
And what if your baby disappeared into one?
For fans of The Space Between Worlds and other multiverse novels, this is a fantastic journey through the mind of a new mother, who is SURE she saw her newborn turn blue and die... except he didn't. At least not in this reality. Eight months later, she still can't bear to be away from him. What if something happened and she couldn't stop it? It's almost no surprise when her husband says he can't take it anymore and leaves her. This journey through the heart and soul of motherhood and what a parent would do to save their child is poignant, heartbreaking, and exciting. Fast-paced and superbly well-written.
A book that will resonate with all who read it, but especially mothers. We all know the first year(or first few years!) of motherhood is hard. You're exhausted, stressed mentally and physically, constantly wanted and needed, and worry is the dominant emotion. Am I doing this right? Should I be doing this instead? Am I a good mom? It's A LOT. So when I started reading this book the main character Hannah was immediately easy to connect with. Hannah has an eight month old named Jack and she loves him with every fiber of her being. But Hannah also feels...off. Something about Jack's birth and what she saw won't leave her mind. This feeling of narrowly avoiding tragedy. Of course, then tragedy strikes. Jack goes missing. But not in the normal sense...in a multi dimensional sense. Will Hannah find him in time before he fizzles out of existence?
I highly recommend this book. The writing was phenomenal, a bit science-y in sections but we are reading about parallel lives so I expected this. I could understand enough to get the gist. The pacing was excellent, I couldn't stop turning the pages. Hannah was a phenomenal character.; likeable, easily relatable, and honest with her feelings with motherhood and all it entails. The author blended drama, sci-fi, and thriller into one amazing book. It also felt like a study on motherhood and how we handle the pressure and anxieties. And also how to let go. To realize we cannot control every aspect of our children's lives(as much as we want to) to keep them safe. I could feel the worry Hannah felt. The guilt. The remorse. The love for her baby. Wow..just a stunning book. I will be thinking about it for a long time.
The Possibilities is a highly emotional, maternal, instinctual story about how far a mother would go to find her missing child. When Hannahs child Jack goes missing of course she will go to great lengths to find her missing child. When the cops can’t help her find her child due to unusual circumstances she must tap into an ability she didn’t realize she had to travel into alternate universes to track down her missing child. In each universe waits a different version of what could have been in Hannah’s life. Will she be able to find jack and bring him home?
I absolutely loved this novel. It was such a thrilling read from start to finish. This novel definitely knew how to tug on your heartstrings. As a mother reading this I couldn’t imagine what Hannah had to go through from finding her son missing to the lengths she goes to, to try to get him back. This story has a bit of sci-fi, mystery and family drama all tied up in one great package. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves a thrilling novel to keep them on edge. I did not want to put this one down.
Brilliant and original, but also deeply moving. A tale of motherhood that's sure to grab all kinds of readers of any genre. I'll be recommending it upon release!
A mother straddling parallel universes in search of her missing baby, Jack... I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It gets 5 stars for originality, that's for sure. I would describe it as a mix of The Midnight Library and In Search of Schrodinger's Cat (at one point, I joked with myself that the title should have been In Search of Schrodinger's Jack). Ultimately, I think this is a story about maternal grief and postpartum anxiety, but it was a bit too Twilight Zone-y for me to connect to. It took so much mental energy to understand what was even going on and the characters kind of got lost in the concept. I LOVED the first two chapters and then it got very "out there" for me. I'm curious to hear what other readers think. The writing itself is beautiful and I'd definitely read more of this author. Like I said, hard to rate this one.
What an incredibly smart, tender, and horrifying deep dive into the fragile time after a mother gives birth. I felt compelled to read while in the presence of my young son so as not to trip into the world that Goldstein-Love has created in The Possibilities. Her precise way of depicting the fear and compulsions of postpartum motherhood is absurdly accurate. I am four years removed from that season of life and it was the flood of emotions felt while reading, that this book reintroduced me to that version of myself and how alike I was to Hannah in her state of mania. Her "Jacklessness" worlds were pure horror, her "Jack-full" worlds were euphoria, I felt every bit of the waves of emotions that these possibilities provided and I felt oddly comforted by the idea that I live in a world with Yael Goldstein-Love, another person who identifies with what this feels like; the absurdity and privilege of creating and protecting a life. I've always known that women must feel similar fears to mine, but how it was so expertly and intelligently written made me feel less alone.
I was caught up from the first sentence. The Possibilities keeps you off kilter as we follow one woman struggling to understand what is real, and what isn't and why. It's unnerving and brilliant.
My first true five star review of the year goes to The Possibilities. Be mindful of picking this one up if you've experienced stillbirth or infant loss - what I thought would be a story about a mother trekking across multiple realities to save her son turned into an exploration of parental guilt and 'what ifs' surrounding tragic events.
Holy heck this messed me up in the best way.
I’m not sure how I missed the part about it being a mother but I am not the intended audience for this book. While I found the book beautifully written I couldn’t connect to anything happening.