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A review by verkisto
Lost Futures by Lisa Tuttle
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.