Bought second hand in Wellington when I was up there a few weeks ago.

A bit of a disappointment, really. It should have been good - the story of a man whose future selves come back to give him advice that will improve his life, but trying to conform to all of their contradictory instructions ends up ruining it instead. However, I felt like the author was trying so hard to make the book simultaneously funny and a poignant love story that he completely failed on both counts - most of the time the humour feels forced, and the main character ends up seeming so weak-willed that you can't really feel much sympathy for him.

There was the odd glimmer of the much better book that this might have been, but not often enough, unfortunately.

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Added to the piles of books on the table at dinner on the first night of the Stewart Island uncon.

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I picked up this book while staying at the Base backpackers hostel in Queenstown, New Zealand December 2017. While on holiday (from Australia), my downtime was occupied by this novel that i would describe as an existential and somewhat philosophical story that tries hard to remain quintessentially, a love story. The protagonist fluctuates between being relatable and able to evoke empathy to distant and quirky which ultimately causes inconsistencies in his character development. The story does make you think about the larger questions in life and at times becomes heavily existential accompanied by constant bouts of philosophising. I admire Mandery’s efforts in retelling the tried and tested ‘time-travel’ conundrum in an almost convincing way however towards the end it feels as if the premise began to fall apart. I wouldn’t say the main aspect of the novel is love as the author somewhat clumsily bought the notion home towards the end of the book but rather a philosophical dive into happiness and the potential in the choices we make. Despite its flaws the novel was consistently engaging and thought provoking. –Samitha Balasuriya

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Added to the bookshelf at Gloria Jeans Coffee Shop in Epping, Sydney.