In Some Other World, Maybe

A Novel

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Pub Date Jan 13 2015 | Archive Date Jan 13 2015

Description

In December 1992, three groups of teenagers head to the theater to see the movie version of the famed Eons & Empires comic books. For Adam it's a last ditch effort to connect with something (actually, someone, the girl he's had a crush on for years) in his sleepy Florida town before he leaves for good. Passionate fan Sharon skips school in Cincinnati so she can fully appreciate the flick without interruption from her vapid almost-friends—a seemingly silly indiscretion with shocking consequences. And in suburban Chicago, Phoebe and Ollie simply want to have a nice first date and maybe fool around in the dark, if everyone they know could just stop getting in the way.

Over the next two decades, these unforgettable characters criss-cross the globe, becoming entwined by friendship, sex, ambition, fame and tragedy. A razor-sharp, darkly comic page-turner, In Some Other World, Maybe sheds light on what it means to grow up in modern America.

In December 1992, three groups of teenagers head to the theater to see the movie version of the famed Eons & Empires comic books. For Adam it's a last ditch effort to connect with something...


Advance Praise

“A fully self-possessed novelist, in command of large figurations, shrewd intelligence and wit, and a fine eye for the world and the American sentence.” —Richard Ford

"In Some Other World, Maybe beguiled me so much during recent flights that I forgot I was in the air! Engaging, entertaining, saucy, and poignant, this ingenious six-degrees-of-separation novel is one you'll be so happy you read. So much fun." —Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us and The Stormchasers

"In Some Other World, Maybe is a beautiful, haunting, insightful novel woven masterfully together. Goldhagen writes about the struggles of growing up, of relationships, of fame, celebrity and the merging of the inner and outer worlds in a narrative so bullet-train fast, it’s nearly impossible to put down. And her characters are real and complex and subtly defined. How does Goldhagen juggle these many elements, while still managing to make the book as funny as she does? You'll just have to read it to find out. Because In Some Other World, Maybe is funny as hell--and deeply profound." —Nic Sheff, New York Times bestselling author ofTweak andWe All Fall Down

"Makes the glamorous seem strikingly familiar and the mundane sparkle with new possibility. Goldhagen spins a lyrical saga that finds an unusual balance between hip and wise, with unforgettable and utterly human characters at its heart. I will not soon shake this book." —Jillian Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of Some Girls and Pretty

"This is a wonderfully rich story of what might be and what might have been. Goldhagen writes with authority about show business and popular culture as she tells this ageless and all too human tale of the mistakes and the compromises that we all make for the sake of love. This book will entertain you, perhaps even titillate you, but above all it will touch your heart." —Lee Martin, author of The Bright Forever and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize

"Shari Goldhagen writes with a special, effortless kind of magic--her characters (even when they're movie stars) feel real: maddening and beguiling, funny and heartbreaking. This novel is a story about coincidence and connection, about lives spinning in and out of control over decades and across the globe, but it's also about people who seem like friends, people we desperately want--no matter how badly they screw up--to turn out all right." —Christopher Coake, author of You Came Backand We’re in Trouble

"A sprawling novel about growing up and setting off on your own, about going to Hollywood but remembering your beginnings. Goldhagen has given us memorable and appealing characters, and their stories all moved me. By the last page, I felt like we had become friends. I already miss them." —Christine Sneed, author of Little Known Facts

"Shari Goldhagen brilliantly weaves together the lives of her characters into a tapestry that feels expertly crafted, and, at the same time, satisfyingly human and real. This is a gem of a book, the kind that I will savor long after reading." —Cristina Alger, author of The Darlings

"In Some Other World, Maybe is funny and deft and moving and sweet. It's tender then explosive, sexy then raw. Shari Goldhagen is a writer of force and intelligence, humor and warmth, heart and heartbreak, darkness and light, and this novel has it all." —Bill Roorbach, author of Life Among Giants

"In Some Other World, Maybe is nothing less than an exploration of our hearts, the surprising places they lead us, the ways they break and the infinite ways they can heal. And it is an absolute delight of a novel, spilling over with questions of fate and choice, and characters so richly drawn and sympathetic, that the loves and struggles of an interconnected group of men and women felt as real and as essential to me as my own. In Some Other World, Maybe hijacked my life and vaulted me completely into Shari Goldhagen’s world." —Lauren Fox, author of Still Life with Husband and Friends Like Us

"Shari Goldhagen is one of those remarkable writers whose work simultaneously captivates the mind and captures the heart, and it’s hard to know what to admire more in this beautifully written novel: the craftsmanship of the story—intricate and deliberate and finely formed as a well-made watch—or the messy, yearning, and wholly compelling characters who inhabit it. This is a book filled with people so flawed and funny and heart-achingly familiar that, upon finishing, I felt that I was parting ways with a group of close and precious friends—I loved this novel." —Aryn Kyle, international bestselling author of The God of Animals

“A fully self-possessed novelist, in command of large figurations, shrewd intelligence and wit, and a fine eye for the world and the American sentence.” —Richard Ford

"In Some Other World, Maybe...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781250047991
PRICE $25.99 (USD)

Average rating from 29 members


Featured Reviews

This really hit very many of my buttons. It's a beautiful book about four teenagers in three different cities in the early 90s who go see a blockbuster movie based on a (fictional) comic book about alternate worlds--and how their lives, and their families' lives, interconnect over the next twenty years. Is it entirely plausible? Is it peppered with too many coincidences? No and yes, but I didn't care in the slightest, because I loved all these characters and their different paths. Some really strong writing here--just super solid all around. A.

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I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. It's one of the types of story lines that I tend to really like and it's particularly well done. A disparate group of characters are portrayed starting in late adolescence into their late thirties. They are connected in various ways, and we see their lives intersect as the few plot lines evolve. The concept is similar to Meg Wolitzer's The Interestings and a few other books I have read over the years. What pushed this one into a relatively rare 5 star rating for me is that I found myself really liking the characters -- despite all of their flaws and obvious blind spots -- and also enjoying their various stories and how they were connected. And the writing was lovely -- simple but elegant with its occasional clever repetitions, 2nd person narrative and reliance on the link to the Star Wars like movie all characters had seen--or not seen--in the opening chapter. I had the luxury of being able to read this book in a day while spending much time in airplanes and airports, and it was a great way to enjoy a book I would have had trouble putting down. Highly recommended for anyone who likes books in this genre.

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Brilliant eloquent adolescent beauty going on in this novel! Intoxicating page-turning storytelling!

Shari Goldhagen keeps us totally engaged with these fragile creatures, who get under our skin and ultimately into our hearts! She has created characters who stay with you long after you finish the book.

The complexities of the relationship between Adam Zoellner and Phoebe Fisher for example is one I think most of us can relate to. Have you ever had a close friend of the opposite sex become a lover? Later an official boyfriend or girlfriend? How did it work out?

Did any of you have a childhood friend who had dreams of being an actor? Then later in their adult life become a big name star? How did the relationship change --and how did it stay the same after he/she hit it 'big'? I do have such a friend --who was once a lover --and we are still friends --still in communication.
Everything about this story touches on aspects of reality --friendships, sex, fame, love, loss, nostalgia.

Its entertaining -funny -heartbreaking -witty. A genuine terrific book to read!

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Terrific story that follows a group from adolescent to adulthood. Their stories connect in various ways and make for one great story. Loved, loved, loved!!

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Shari Goldhagen writes a deeply engrossing novel about seemingly unrelated tennagers in different cities seeing a movie called Eons and Empires on the same day. You can take the novel at face value and it is great, a story about these teenagers growing up making choices that will affect them for years to come, or you can look deeper at how they each echo the characters in Eons and Empires. See how things would have been different in different worlds with a different choice. The book has an underlying philosophical bent that is fascinating while also being an entertaining read.

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Compelling characters in whose lives and drama I reveled. A quick and satisfying read. Great for book clubs.

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