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gillothen's review
4.0
Far better than I expected after reading another of Tuttle's novels last year. This starts gently, feels like a fairly standard suburban novel, but the shifting memories, shifting selves get more and more intense. By the end I was really desperate that the heroine could find a resolution she could be happy with. Excellent.
perfectlymisaligned's review
1.0
One of the most confusing, disjointed books i've ever suffered through. Very little of this book made sense, and it ended up frustrating me to no end.
caffeineauthor's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
verkisto's review
3.0
Lost Futures is the sixteenth book in the Abyss imprint, and is one I recall as being one of my favorites back when I read them in the early 1990s. I was so excited to re-read it, even as I had a feeling I was carrying too much nostalgia for the book, and was setting myself up for disappointment. I'm happy to say that I came out of this thinking that it was still a solid, effective read.
This is a book about choices: the permanent, irrevocable choices of our past and how they affect our future. Claire, the main character, is living a lackluster life, one filled with a brother who died due in part to her neglect when she was younger, a string of ex-boyfriends who either left or were pushed away, and a job that pays the bills, but doesn't excite her. When she starts getting glimpses of other versions of her life, where she made different choices, she begins thinking of them as alternate universes based on quantum physics. In short, whenever a choice is made, the universe splits to accomodate realities where one choice was made, and another for a different choice. It's the Schroedinger's Cat thought experiment, on a grander scale.
So, Lost Futures is more science fiction than one would expect from the Abyss imprint, but it's still horror, because Tuttle looks at the realization that our past is fixed, no matter what. We can struggle with the agony of missed chances or poor choices, but eventually we have to come to terms with our choices instead of dwelling on what could have been. Plus, as the story progresses, we start to wonder which personality is reality, and whether or not what Claire is experiencing is real, or all in her mind. Tuttle plays with that convention very well.
Things happen quickly in the book. The idea of alternate universes is revealed in chapter two, so the story isn't about working up to that reveal; instead, we're looking at Claire's self-examination for much of the story. Early on, Tuttle creates a strong friendship between Claire and Sophie, an old college roommate, but she drops that thread by the end of the book, which I feel is a disservice to that relationship. Aside from being a positive representation of female friendships, Tuttle has Claire focus instead on the man with whom she wants to have a relationship. Even though we only have a brief glimpse at that character, the relationship between Claire and Sophie felt stronger, more significant, and should have been revisited.
Lost Futures is a thoughtful book, and is a good representation of what the Abyss imprint was trying to do: focusing on internal horror instead of demons and other ghoulies. It appears to have gained a cult status since its first publication, and was even nominated for a couple of literary awards the year it was released. I'm pleased to see that it holds up as well as it did the first time I read it, nearly twenty years ago.
This is a book about choices: the permanent, irrevocable choices of our past and how they affect our future. Claire, the main character, is living a lackluster life, one filled with a brother who died due in part to her neglect when she was younger, a string of ex-boyfriends who either left or were pushed away, and a job that pays the bills, but doesn't excite her. When she starts getting glimpses of other versions of her life, where she made different choices, she begins thinking of them as alternate universes based on quantum physics. In short, whenever a choice is made, the universe splits to accomodate realities where one choice was made, and another for a different choice. It's the Schroedinger's Cat thought experiment, on a grander scale.
So, Lost Futures is more science fiction than one would expect from the Abyss imprint, but it's still horror, because Tuttle looks at the realization that our past is fixed, no matter what. We can struggle with the agony of missed chances or poor choices, but eventually we have to come to terms with our choices instead of dwelling on what could have been. Plus, as the story progresses, we start to wonder which personality is reality, and whether or not what Claire is experiencing is real, or all in her mind. Tuttle plays with that convention very well.
Things happen quickly in the book. The idea of alternate universes is revealed in chapter two, so the story isn't about working up to that reveal; instead, we're looking at Claire's self-examination for much of the story. Early on, Tuttle creates a strong friendship between Claire and Sophie, an old college roommate, but she drops that thread by the end of the book, which I feel is a disservice to that relationship. Aside from being a positive representation of female friendships, Tuttle has Claire focus instead on the man with whom she wants to have a relationship. Even though we only have a brief glimpse at that character, the relationship between Claire and Sophie felt stronger, more significant, and should have been revisited.
Lost Futures is a thoughtful book, and is a good representation of what the Abyss imprint was trying to do: focusing on internal horror instead of demons and other ghoulies. It appears to have gained a cult status since its first publication, and was even nominated for a couple of literary awards the year it was released. I'm pleased to see that it holds up as well as it did the first time I read it, nearly twenty years ago.
ryan_lieske's review
5.0
One of the most ingenious, haunting, and (strangely) uplifting novels I have ever read. Life is a series of decisions, and each decision made or not made creates a parallel life. Imagine if you could know all your parallel lives ...
That is the premise of Tuttle's stunning novel. What unfolds on the page is a meditation on past mistakes and future promises. But what happens when you find you're having trouble telling them apart? I wouldn't go so far as to label this a "horror novel," despite it being first released under the Dell/Abyss label, though it does have its share of unnerving and sinister moments.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
That is the premise of Tuttle's stunning novel. What unfolds on the page is a meditation on past mistakes and future promises. But what happens when you find you're having trouble telling them apart? I wouldn't go so far as to label this a "horror novel," despite it being first released under the Dell/Abyss label, though it does have its share of unnerving and sinister moments.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
velvetsun's review
1.0
One of the most confusing, disjointed books i've ever suffered through. Very little of this book made sense, and it ended up frustrating me to no end.
eating_or_reading's review
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jordibal's review
4.0
Técnicamente es novela de género, pero en realidad es más bien ligerita y es una buena opción para lectores mundanos (no frikis), entre otras cosas porque tiene cosillas de vida diaria, de curro, de amores, de familia, de encontrar tu lugar en el mundo…
Si por una vez distingo entre fantástico y maravilloso, esta se enmarcaría en lo fantástico. Normalmente no me hace falta hacer esta distinción: hablo de fantasía y fantástico y a correr, pero en este caso sí es necesario porque, por una vez, leo algo no maravilloso (más o menos). En cualquier caso, es raro que yo lea un libro así, pero como estaba barato, la autora viene al Celsius y estaba entre las finalistas para la lectura de junio del grupo de Goodreads #LeoAutorasFantásticas, aquí estamos. Y, al igual que me pasó con [b:La Maga y otros cuentos crueles|27254103|La Maga y otros cuentos crueles|Elia Barceló|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445506736s/27254103.jpg|47304129] de [a:Elia Barceló|515943|Elia Barceló|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1300042453p2/515943.jpg] (que sí es la lectura del mes en ese grupo), me alegra haber escapado momentáneamente de mi zona de confort de frikadas.
He tardado más de media novela en pillarle el puntito (lo que se cuenta en el segundo párrafo de la descripción de aquí mismo, para que os hagáis una idea), pero como es corta, no pasa nada: otra cosa más que agradecer. Además, me ha pillado en un buen momento este libro: eso de echar la vista mental atrás y pensar en qué podría haber sido y no fue… no es algo que yo quiera hacer ahora porque en nuestro mundo no lleva a nada bueno (frustración), pero está bien que otros lo hagan por mí. La prosa en sí me ha convencido y es evidente que aquí hay oficio: de lectura fácil, pero evidentemente bien trabajada. En resumen: un buen libro que me ha dejado satisfecho. Bien, Tuttle.
Si por una vez distingo entre fantástico y maravilloso, esta se enmarcaría en lo fantástico. Normalmente no me hace falta hacer esta distinción: hablo de fantasía y fantástico y a correr, pero en este caso sí es necesario porque, por una vez, leo algo no maravilloso (más o menos). En cualquier caso, es raro que yo lea un libro así, pero como estaba barato, la autora viene al Celsius y estaba entre las finalistas para la lectura de junio del grupo de Goodreads #LeoAutorasFantásticas, aquí estamos. Y, al igual que me pasó con [b:La Maga y otros cuentos crueles|27254103|La Maga y otros cuentos crueles|Elia Barceló|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445506736s/27254103.jpg|47304129] de [a:Elia Barceló|515943|Elia Barceló|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1300042453p2/515943.jpg] (que sí es la lectura del mes en ese grupo), me alegra haber escapado momentáneamente de mi zona de confort de frikadas.
He tardado más de media novela en pillarle el puntito (lo que se cuenta en el segundo párrafo de la descripción de aquí mismo, para que os hagáis una idea), pero como es corta, no pasa nada: otra cosa más que agradecer. Además, me ha pillado en un buen momento este libro: eso de echar la vista mental atrás y pensar en qué podría haber sido y no fue… no es algo que yo quiera hacer ahora porque en nuestro mundo no lleva a nada bueno (frustración), pero está bien que otros lo hagan por mí. La prosa en sí me ha convencido y es evidente que aquí hay oficio: de lectura fácil, pero evidentemente bien trabajada. En resumen: un buen libro que me ha dejado satisfecho. Bien, Tuttle.
shoggoth_roof's review
4.0
Me temo que esta es una de esas obras que cuanto menos sepáis de ella, mejor.
La historia comienza con Clare Beckett despertando junto a un hombre que apenas conoce, y poco a poco va recordando qué pasó en las últimas horas y decide que esa no es la mejor forma de dar un cambio a su vida, pero que está claro que no está contenta con cómo están las cosas. En su repaso, descubrimos que su vida cambió totalmente con la muerte de su hermano, de la que todavía se culpa, y Clare se sigue preguntando si las cosas podrían haber sido diferentes.
La autora no ha dejado de sorprenderme durante toda la obra. Tan pronto te describe una escena normal y corriente, de gran realismo, como te puedes encontrar, en la página siguiente, algo misterioso y aterrador que está cuestionando toda la realidad que has ido descubriendo hasta ese momento. ¿Qué es eso que acecha a Clare en sus sueños? ¿Conseguirá alcanzarla? ¿Conseguirá Clare solucionar toda esta situación o se verá devorada por las circunstancias?
El libro tiene momentos bastante intensos y la parte final de la obra la tuve que leer de una sentada porque no podían quedarse las cosas así, sin más, y cerrar el libro después de esa revelación sobre Wat. ¿Qué demonios pasaba ahí?
La obra engancha bastante y cuesta dejarla a un lado si estás leyendo antes de dormir, pero es un libro donde los detalles importan mucho. ¡Estad atentos!
La historia comienza con Clare Beckett despertando junto a un hombre que apenas conoce, y poco a poco va recordando qué pasó en las últimas horas y decide que esa no es la mejor forma de dar un cambio a su vida, pero que está claro que no está contenta con cómo están las cosas. En su repaso, descubrimos que su vida cambió totalmente con la muerte de su hermano, de la que todavía se culpa, y Clare se sigue preguntando si las cosas podrían haber sido diferentes.
El libro tiene momentos bastante intensos y la parte final de la obra la tuve que leer de una sentada porque no podían quedarse las cosas así, sin más, y cerrar el libro después de esa revelación sobre Wat. ¿Qué demonios pasaba ahí?
La obra engancha bastante y cuesta dejarla a un lado si estás leyendo antes de dormir, pero es un libro donde los detalles importan mucho. ¡Estad atentos!
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