What if you get a chance to redo your life? What decisions will you change? Which life event will you delete? Or will you choose to not change anything about your past life?
All This & More by Peng Shepherd is a book based on this premise. The book starts with “How to Read This Book” which in itself shows that what we are about to start is an intriguing book. The book talks of rewriting one’s life through the joys of quantum bubbling which sounds like a technological magic.
The protagonist, Marsh is at the lowest point of her life and finds herself selected to participate in the life-altering reality show, All This & More. The show gives her a chance to rewrite her life, retake some important decisions and if she likes the path, she can choose to keep the life for herself and continue on in her new life.
“That’s how I thought of the Bubble,” he tells her, his voice full of wonder. “Like our little cocoon, from which this perfect butterfly could emerge, at the end.” “Or like the butterfly effect,” she can’t help but say. “Small, seemingly innocent changes that can lead to unpredictable consequences,”
The concept used by the author is innovative and the execution is near perfect. She has used the most common desire of every person in their lives. All of us have at some point or another wanted to redo our lives, change a decision that we wish we hadn’t taken. The same goes on with Marsh. She is a forty-five year old woman who has just ended her marriage after finding that her husband has cheated on her. She wants to redo her life and have a successful career with a happy family life.
The book gives us, readers the chance to take Marsh on her journey. For every decision that you wish her to take, you turn the pages to that particular choice and see what it brings for Marsh. Of course, as happens with almost every one of us, Marsh wants more and more.
Every new path she takes makes her want to change something more. If a successful career takes her away from her daughter, she tweaks that path for something else.
The book is interesting, the choices are intriguing and it is fun to read. Although, at one point I felt the story dragging a little. A few tweaks would have made the book crisper. Other than that, I found the book a fun read. And it definitely got me thinking, what would have happened had I not taken the path I had chosen? Or if I had a chance to enter this quantum bubble and tweak certain aspects of my life, would I?
My rating: 4.5/5
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