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A review by saidtheraina
Our Expanding Universe by Alex Robinson
4.0
About five months ago, a child moved into my home.
For the first time in my adult life, I could not accurately be described as "child-free."
I am a third parent in this arrangement - while they spend some time most weeks with other family members (including their father), I am one of the two adults living with them in their primary residence.
This is new.
This story examines this phenomenon. Not the specifics of my situation, at all. But of becoming a parent. Of inviting a child into your life. Of allowing your life to change. In ways that are not entirely comfortable or fun.
Let me be clearer: It's not about parenting - it's about deciding whether to parent, or embracing that decision once it's been made.
In the case of this book, it's an adult heterosexual cismale, living in the city, who is struggling with the decision to conceive a child with his partner. He's also watching his friends, one of whom is a divorced single guy living alone, another who has kid(s), and is struggling with his marriage. Does our hero want to follow in the footsteps of dissatisfied guy? Or let it all come crashing down and curse himself to be lonely alone guy?
It's a whole lot of white whine/angsty privilege/men who hurt, it's true.
But there's a piece of me that seriously gets it. Our protagonist has choices, and that's a challenge all its own.
Robinson's work feels like a long, more serious and jaded episode of How I Met Your Mother. A geek version.
He doesn't need color for his stories - these people are the point, not the images of them. I do love his layouts, though.
These aren't likeable people, so don't look here for that. But there's a level of realness to them that is special.
I intend to keep reading everything he puts out.
For the first time in my adult life, I could not accurately be described as "child-free."
I am a third parent in this arrangement - while they spend some time most weeks with other family members (including their father), I am one of the two adults living with them in their primary residence.
This is new.
This story examines this phenomenon. Not the specifics of my situation, at all. But of becoming a parent. Of inviting a child into your life. Of allowing your life to change. In ways that are not entirely comfortable or fun.
Let me be clearer: It's not about parenting - it's about deciding whether to parent, or embracing that decision once it's been made.
In the case of this book, it's an adult heterosexual cismale, living in the city, who is struggling with the decision to conceive a child with his partner. He's also watching his friends, one of whom is a divorced single guy living alone, another who has kid(s), and is struggling with his marriage. Does our hero want to follow in the footsteps of dissatisfied guy? Or let it all come crashing down and curse himself to be lonely alone guy?
It's a whole lot of white whine/angsty privilege/men who hurt, it's true.
But there's a piece of me that seriously gets it. Our protagonist has choices, and that's a challenge all its own.
Robinson's work feels like a long, more serious and jaded episode of How I Met Your Mother. A geek version.
He doesn't need color for his stories - these people are the point, not the images of them. I do love his layouts, though.
These aren't likeable people, so don't look here for that. But there's a level of realness to them that is special.
I intend to keep reading everything he puts out.