In Universes was such a great read. I loved the character development and the writing was propulsive. I would read more from this author.

Okay so for some reason when I started, I didn't realize there'd be parallel lives. So you can imagine my confusion as I made it past the first few chapters. But then that confusion deepened into love. In Universes makes you think about nature and nurture. The things that stay the same in our lives, in us, throughout it all. And the things that take the right conditions to bloom, to develop, to emerge. And even more so, the things that we cannot put into words which has always been lurking.

The deeply reductive marketing take on this would be "lesbian literary version of Everything Everywhere All at Once". This was a gorgeously written meditation on finding out what you and your lover are like across universes, and in the process, dealing with grief and learning how to let go. Definitely worth your time.

When I read the synopsis for In Universes, I thought that this book was tailor-made for me. As a nonbinary pers0n who studied astrophysics, I could not have imagined a better description. A nonbinary cosmologist searching for dark matter who falls into a multiversal tour of possible lives in possible universes? Sounds perfect. The actual execution however, fell a bit short of my expectations. In reality, this reads more like a collection of strange, disparate short stories that take place in a variety of strange, disparate worlds. While each explores a possible universe where some of our main characters get a chance to relate in different ways, framed by the strange circumstances of their particular strands of the multiverse, there was little that really tied the whole thing together into a cohesive story. That said, the actual stories themselves and the overall reading experience were quite enjoyable. Perhaps on a second read, I might find more cohesion and pull greater nuance and understanding from the quagmire of the stories, but it fell just short of exceptional for me, for now.

I'm here for the queer/trans multiverse, a kind of speculative fiction academia that has truly launched into space. Fresh writing! A lot to appreciate here. Thanks for the ARC!

In Universes is a beautiful story about choices and potential lives we could have led.

A scientist at the heart of trauma, grief and relationships. i regret not being in the right headspace when reading to appreciate it more but I'll consider a reread somewhere during my PhD. there's a lot of meaning, nostalgy and comfort to find in in universes.

Content Warnings: Suicide & suicidal ideation; Existentialism; Anxiety; Mild Homophobia; Imposter Syndrome; Mild Body Horror (Organism beneath the Skin)

Confession: I thought I would hate this book after reading its blurb. I’m not a fan of multiverses and traveling between them, and I feared this book would be nothing but that.

I am glad that I read it despite the blurb because I ended up LOVING this book.

In transparency, the narrative does move between universes, but they are not directly connected. Each section explores a different universe with versions of one or more characters shared between them. Raffi is the primary character explored, but others appear as well. The setting also varies significantly between contemporary and realistic to magic realism to post-apocalyptic fantasy. It felt like reading short stories with some shared beats; it took me two or three sections to get the vibe, but once I did, I started to enjoy it. Because each section is a complete snapshot, I felt like I had clear points where I could stop and think if needed.

North’s writing is beautiful and vibrant in their descriptions of people, animals, and emotions, both light and dark. In addition to their ability to write multiple genres, I appreciated how they handled Raffi and her/their queerness. It was always present, though differently flavored depending on the universe.

I think those who enjoy, or at least appreciate, non-linear experiences, a complex, often dark journey leading to an ambiguous, but hopeful ending, and exploring queer identities will like this book. Even if that doesn’t sound like you, if you want to read an example of a tight, evocative novel, then you might want to give this a try. I’m glad that I did.

TL;DR: I love a good multiverse tale - and this is a standout!

I had high hopes for Emet North’s debut In Universes based on the blurb - “for fans of Emily St. John Mandel” is my literary catnip - and the endorsements of some of my favorite authors (Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah called it “an explosion of creative beauty and heart”). Still, it took me by surprise how much I loved it.

In Universes follows a queer physicist named Raffi - who in some worlds uses she/her pronouns, in others they/theirs - searching for belonging, meaning, and atonement across time and space. It's a novel-in-stories where each chapter, with evocative titles like “A Universe Where I Said Hello” and “The Ghost of that Other Life,” explores what her/their circumstances might be had events played out differently. Some elements are consistent - the people Raffi loves tend to appear in some form or another - but others are divergent, and at times things get deeply weird (in one of the most memorable worlds, Raffi’s mother is a swarm of bees, as it’s normal for women to spontaneously fracture into hordes of animals).

In Universes doesn’t have a linear narrative or a particularly straightforward one, and there are a subset of readers who will be turned off by that (and that's okay!). But I look forward to enthusiastically recommending it to customers looking for a strange and evocative and beautiful book that will completely absorb them. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper for an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

What if you could see all of the versions of you and those you love throughout the multiverse? This gorgeous novel weaves science fiction and romance, physics and art, love and regret in the most beautiful way. I recommend going into it not knowing much more than that. I couldn't put this book down and will be recommending!

Look, In Universes did maybe confuse me a little? But I also enjoyed it quite a bit. In it, we meet Raffi, in multiple universes. Hence the title, right? Anyway. The whole book is slices of Raffi's life in parallel worlds, and some of them are more like our world, and some are not, and I feel like that is really it. It's a quieter book obviously, and very character driven, but it is also really entertaining to see the differences in Raffi (and others- plenty of folks in Raffi's "first" world appear throughout) and the worlds in general. A few of them flummoxed me a bit, but it was still fun, plus I got to use the word "flummoxed" in my review, so everyone wins. And, it makes you think about who you might be in other worlds, which I always find to be a good time.

Bottom Line: Quirky but enjoyable, I loved getting to see different versions of Raffi, and of the world.

"In Universes" by Emet North offers an enthralling journey through a kaleidoscope of parallel worlds, each unveiling a unique exploration of trauma, grief, and the intricate process of healing. Through the eyes of protagonist Raffi, North masterfully delves into the depths of the psyche, weaving a tapestry of love, despair, and the quest for belonging.

What captivates from the outset is North's engaging and imaginative prose, which skillfully navigates the complexities of Raffi's existence across myriad universes. Despite the ever-shifting landscapes and divergent realities, Raffi remains a constant amidst the chaos, anchoring the narrative with their unyielding presence.

The novel's strength lies in its multifaceted storytelling, where each chapter unfolds a new universe where Raffi grapples with familiar themes, from the loss of a childhood friend's horse to the intricacies of queer relationships. Whether navigating apocalyptic landscapes teeming with alien-inhabited animals or cities steeped in regret, Raffi's journey as a physicist studying alternate realities serves as a compelling thread connecting the diverse narratives.

What sets "In Universes" apart is its exploration of characters who transcend the boundaries of time and space, evolving with each new iteration of reality. While the majority of characters are rendered with depth and nuance, there are instances where certain portrayals could have been more finely drawn. Nevertheless, the novel's ability to seamlessly navigate themes of gender and identity without overshadowing the central narrative is commendable.

Every so often I come across a book I adore so much that wish I wrote it. Emet North’s In Universes is one such book.

Raffi is a cosmologist studying dark matter who becomes increasingly fascinated by the concept of the multiverse—the idea that every possible version of reality exists simultaneously. If this is true, then Raffi can find the universe where she did not betray her childhood friend (who might have been more than a friend). While Raffi searches for this reality, we readers are taken on a ride through strange parallel worlds, each exploring new ways of coming to terms with our loves, our losses, and ourselves.

I’ve long been captivated by the multiverse theory and have read several novels focused on it, all of which paled in comparison to In Universes. North imagines a multiverse that adheres to its own logic, fully committing to teasing out its implications, and does not shy away from asking why exactly the concept is so attractive.

North’s exceptional storytelling skill immerses us in a world where every situation you can imagine is not only possible, but actual: Mothers who turn into a horde of animals when they give birth to a daughter. A woodworker who crafts corpses into furniture. Sandcastles large enough to live in. I could never anticipate what shape the next chapter would take, but trusted that it would something memorable.

From the outset, I was enthralled not only by the novel’s kaleidoscopic structure, but also by the tenderness with which North depicts the confusion of Raffi’s early queer inclinations and their adult desire to escape from grief and regret. Admittedly, Raffi and I share similar reasons for being fascinated by the multiverse theory, and I was brought to tears more than once. (Okay, at one point it was ugly sobbing.)

My main critique is of the ending, which I found slightly disappointing. It was a beautiful ending, no doubt, but it came just a tad too close to a message of feel-good “toxic” positivity. To be clear, I never felt North was shoving such a message down my throat; rather, it was a simple matter of personal taste that let me down a little.

Long review short: In Universes may well be my favorite book of the year, and I am stoked to follow North’s writing career!

Emet North’s debut novel, In Universes, is unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s challenging, beautiful, and the very best kind of strange. Each chapter is just a glimpse into Raffi’s life in one of an unlimited number of possible universes. On their own, the chapters could be short stories—all entertaining for different reasons—but together, they weave a tale of grief, love, heartbreak, and the search for self. 



Anything is possible when we’re talking about infinity, so some of Raffi’s lives take place in fairly recognizable universes much like our own, while others take place in universes in which aliens inhabit animal bodies and attack humans, or, in my favorite (because it was both entertaining and absolutely brilliant), mothers fracture into hordes of animals when they give birth to daughters. What the universes all have in common though, is that they all fall within timelines in which Raffi connects with Britt, Kay, Graham, or Alice, and each of Raffi’s lives is unique in a perfect way that doesn’t make them unrecognizable as the same person. Raffi's shifting and changing relationships with these recurring characters were fascinating, especially the one they had with Britt, who is always important no matter the universe.



Raffi is a remarkable character. They truly read as if they are a real person. They have fully fleshed out hopes, dreams, flaws, and plenty of endearing qualities. It’s easy to relate to and love a character as genuine and realistic as Raffi. Their friends and lovers were also great people. I wanted to choose a favorite to mention here but I couldn’t do it. Too hard. It might be Graham though.



Often, when I (and many people, I imagine) read a book, I insert myself into it. What would I do if I was the main character? What would I say if I was the side character? I did do that sometimes while reading In Universes, but more often, I inserted the concept of the book into my life instead. I’ve lost so much sleep the past couple nights, lying awake thinking about the points at which my life could have split into different universes and what those universes might be like. Or thinking about the universe in which I never met someone I love, or I did, but I love them in a different way, or they are merely an acquaintance. Or, hey, what kind of animal horde my mother would have fractured into when I was born (polar bear).



When I wasn’t losing sleep over In Universes, it was affecting my dreams. I won’t go into detail because reading other people’s dreams is kind of boring and that’s not what this is anyway, but my dreams have been incredibly weird and 100% influenced by this book. I loved In Universes while I was reading it, and I love it even more because it had such a strong hold over both my dreams and waking thoughts.



If you’re looking for something thought-provoking that will take you on a multifaceted journey, this is it. This is the book.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins, from whom I received this ARC. It was a pleasure to read and review In Universes!

DNF at 40%, during the second chapter in a row that's really painful to read for me personally. Too personal to go into in a public review, too.

This has been a melancholy read throughout the part that I did read - I have been longing for some sunshine in the story the entire time. Not sure if the main character has anything positive it's hoping for. I get the feeling that the absence of hope is driving the protagonist's thoughts.

Some novels center around a person who hasn't been through an extraordinary tragedy but is experiencing a crisis of meaning. Arguably, it's happening precisely because they have been fortunate enough to spend most of their life in the high-level section of the Maslow hierarchy of needs, away from concerns for their survival. The character ends up sounding like they think they've been dealt the world's worst hand when that clearly isn't the case. There are readers who enjoy reading that genre, maybe because it makes them feel seen. But I'm not part of that target audience.

<B>The Publisher Says</B>: Raffi works in an observational cosmology lab, searching for dark matter and trying to hide how little they understand their own research. Every chance they get, they escape to see Britt, a queer sculptor who fascinates them for reasons they also don’t—or won’t—understand. As Raffi’s carefully constructed life begins to collapse, they become increasingly fixated on the multiverse and the idea that somewhere, there might be a universe where they mean as much to Britt as she does to them…and just like that, Raffi and Britt are thirteen years old, best friends and maybe something more.

<I>In Universes</I> is a mind-bending tour across parallel worlds, each an answer to the question of what life would be like if events had played out just a little differently. The universes grow increasingly strange: women fracture into hordes of animals, alien-infested bears prowl apocalyptic landscapes. But across them all, Raffi—alongside their sometimes-friends, sometimes-lovers Britt, Kay, and Graham—reaches for a life that feels authentically their own.

Blending realism with science fiction, <I>In Universes</I> explores the thirst for genius, the fluidity of gender and identity, and the pull of the past against the desire to lead a meaningful life. Part Ted Chiang, part Carmen Maria Machado, part <I:Everything Everywhere All At Once</I>, <I>In Universes</I> insists on the transgressive power of hope even in the darkest of times.

<B>I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review</B>: A blast of a read, in all the usual meanings of that word: Loud, trumpet-like; maximally fun; shattering and sudden; destructive.

Emotionally shattering because there is a great deal of grief and grieving inherent in exploration of self in relation to others, among other reasons. Raffi is protean, contains multitudes, and will not be nailed down to one meager choice when the entire multiverse is spread before them. A more adventurous take, then, on the idea of Everything Everywhere All At Once as it includes greater intentionality. Destruction, demolition blasts are very much here; Raffi, in some universes, rivals Kali as a destroyer of worlds, for self as well as, particularly, for others. There is no relationship in this story that is not utterly destroyed. They just don't get destroyed at the same time, by the same person, method, or for the same reasons. As you read along, wondering where the HELL Emet is taking you, you'll be suddenly shattered by the complete inversion of your expectations multiple times.

The fun of this read, and it is indeed fun to read, is the take-no-prisoners verve with which the story's told. Leave your pearls at home when you embark on this trip. Like Henry Miller, Emet North has no time for, interest in, or fear of you pearl-clutching linear, polite, unadventurous souls. Getting down into the baseness, the base, the bases of reality is the project and that simply cannot be done with clean white cotton gloves turning the pages.

I will say that, as a resolutely gay male, I was somewhat battered by the sheer preponderance of vaginas. I still read it; look at those four stars. That's a loud statement of my level of investment. A boon to me, in this overwhelmed-by-labia state, came from the fact that this is not a Beckett or Joyce-flavored excursion into vaggieland. Back to the Henry Miller comparison: The point of view doesn't really change, just the angle of the sightline...no one's holding your head in place like Joyce or Beckett both of whom want you all the way down until you have no air and start to gag on the overload. Miller's eternally shuffling around, foul fair foul fair all the same sight but never still long enough to be sure exactly what sight that is; this is closest to Emet North's method of shaking the kaleidoscope to fracture the multiverse as well.

What you should know is, this read doesn't want you to love it, like a shirley temple. This read wants you to live in it, to get into its unmarked white delivery van, to be fully present as you're shaken (and stirred) before being poured out in a thin stream of pungent, colorless, powerfully mixed sophistication. If that sounds unappealing, horseman, pass by. If you're in the mood to be renewed or renovated after some pleasant undemaning reads, this story will give you more than you expected.

This raving ramble accompanies four, not five, stars because the entire edifice is built on a largely ignored foundation of cosmology. I think, if one's calling something science fiction, and making the protagonist a cosmologist, that should figure in the story fairly prominently. I think my pleasure in the read also took a hit because there was often so little of a narrative strand to follow...this makes the setting down of the book very, very easy, and can make the picking up of it less so.

I recommend it to those weary of predictable plods. I recommend it to QUILTBAG readers. I do, above all, recommend it.

Such a gorgeous book! Big fan of the structure and the way it fans out into many possibilities. Beautifully written, clever and thoughtful.

“In Universes” offered a distinctive and thought-provoking journey through multiple scenarios exploring the question, "What would have happened if...?"

"In Universes" centers on Raffi, a queer PhD student at an observational Cosmology Lab, who is focused on unraveling the mysteries of Dark Matter and its impact on daily life. Raffi's quest leads them to contemplate the Multiverse, imagining alternate realities where they might be living a different destiny.

The narrative takes us through numerous possibilities and parallel worlds, where Raffi revisits pivotal moments from their youth and beyond. Starting from early childhood, through the age of thirteen, and into significant life events, each universe explored becomes increasingly bizarre. We encounter worlds where animals are infected by aliens, women transform into animal hordes, and ghosts communicate from beneath house basements.

While this novel stretched beyond my typical comfort zone, I appreciated its underlying message. "In Universes" underscores how our past influences our present and future. I applaud and support stories that feature a queer protagonist and delve into the complex terrain of gender identity.

I would recommend this book to admirers of Ted Chiang and enthusiasts of the film “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.” Special thanks to NetGalley, Harper, and Emet North for providing an ARC in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. Look for "In Universes" available April 30th, 2024!

I knew from the first page that I would like this book, but I knew from the second chapter that I would LOVE it. Nothing made sense and yet I feel like I understood everything. In fact, I think the book understood me most of all.

The writing here is stunning, with several lines worthy of underlining for further reflection in each chapter. I loved every character, and I’m in awe of North’s ability to fully flesh out these people and worlds in so few words.

This book is magic and heartbreak and I wanted to stop reading so many times because I was getting too emotional, but my traitor eyes kept me glued to the screen.

Beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

This was not what I was expecting, but still a fun and enjoyable adventure. This was certainly a unique story and the characters added a fun layer to this book,. This was quick and easy read. Will recommend.

I think this is my favorite book I’ve ever read. BEAUTIFULLY written, and such a cool and unique story, absolutely loved that each chapter was sort of like its own short story, but when put together, they flow as one piece. I will read anything this author writes from now on.