This book was a trip. I was constantly enthralled the whole time. This story is divided into three sections and the first two end with a bang. The finale left some to be desired but I think it fit the overall mood of the narrative.

The story follows three characters, which was a little disorienting at first. I was constantly trying to make connections between them, wondering how they could be connected. Bo is a young child that lost his mother in an accident at school. He, his brother and father are all dealing with it in different ways and their struggles to cope result in some seriously heart wrenching interactions. They don’t mean to hurt one another, but their grief drives them to do so and the realism here is what makes it so impactful.

Brandon is a middle-age man who is obsessed with an old, canceled tv show who loses his job and falls down an elevator shaft. He goes through a lot in his introduction and I identified with his struggle to cope with life events. Some of his decision-making frustrated me, but he has past trauma of his own that he hasn’t worked through. His journey is one that I really related to. He tries to do what he can to make his life less mundane, but makes mistakes along the way that end up hurting others. Brandon has a lot to learn and his journey throughout this story is the most intriguing.

Blue is an older man who worked at a company that was shut down for crimes against humanity. The owner, IO Emsworth was a self-professed genius that was going to revolutionize the power industry, but she failed and some of her employees died. Because of this she is incarcerated and people are itching for the whole story. It’s been years since he worked there, but Blue agrees to an interview to try and relive the magic he experienced at the company. The reveal of the technology that IO was researching is intriguing and her purpose for doing so and the technology behind it are not fully revealed.

The narrative here follows these three characters separately until their paths converge at the end of part one to a cohesive intersection. I really don’t want to reveal much about the story, but at the end of section one and two I yelled out loud. I like to think I’m usually good at predicting narrative outcomes, but this one left me guessing. It was such an interesting way to structure a narrative that I have no idea what was going to happen next, let alone the conclusion.

Do yourself a favor and read this book. It’s entertaining, relatable, heart wrenching and intriguing. It left me feeling like something was missing, which correlates with the three main characters’ struggles. They all were missing something and none of them really receive what they think they need to feel full (at least not in the typical sense). It may seem bleak, but we may not ever find that one thing that will make us feel fulfilled. We are a culmination of our experiences and despite hardships, we persevere to become our truest selves. Closure may be hard to come by, but we may need to realize that it’s not necessarily the right thing to strive for. There are always trade-offs to the decisions we make, that’s what gives them weight. Always be willing to deal with consequences and you’ll learn and grow into your true self.