Author: Kari Luna
Publisher: Philomel
Date: Now Available
Source: Publisher via
Negalley
My grade: C-???
One part Libba Bray's GOING BOVINE, two parts String Theory, and three
parts love story equals a whimsical novel that will change the way you think
about the world.
Sophie Sophia is
obsessed with music from the late eighties. She also has an eccentric physicist
father who sometimes vanishes for days and sees things other people don’t see.
But when he disappears for good and Sophie’s mom moves them from Brooklyn, New
York, to Havencrest, Illinois, for a fresh start, things take a turn for the
weird. Sophie starts seeing things, like marching band pandas, just like her
dad.
Guided by Walt, her
shaman panda, and her new (human) friend named Finny, Sophie is determined to
find her father and figure out her visions, once and for all. So she travels
back to where it began—New York City and NYU’s physics department. As she
discovers more about her dad’s research on M-theory and her father himself,
Sophie opens her eyes to the world’s infinite possibilities—and her heart to
love.
Perfect for fans of Going Bovine, The Perks of Being a Wallflower,
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and The Probability of Miracles. (Description
and cover from www.goodreads.com)
Initial reaction
This is the most bizarre book I can remember reading.
Cover Story
Rather like the book, this is a bizarre cover, but it
definitely fits what’s inside. So, I’m
going to say that this one works.
What’s the Story?
To be honest, I’m still not sure what the story is on this
one. I mean, I read the whole thing, and
I understood all the words, but I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND!!!!
This is what I think the deal is. Sophie Sophia is the daughter of a brilliant
physicist. Who has disappeared. Her mom thought that he was crazy, but he
believed in string theory, which apparently is a theory in physics that would
allow for parallel universes that at times intersect with our own.
Here is where I had problems with this theory. I’m ok with the idea of a parallel
universe. However, why would that
parallel universe have pandas that could talk, walk and participate in marching
band??? Shouldn’t a parallel universe
have to follow all of the rules of our own universe?
Another problem I had was that the novel never explained why
only certain people were allowed to travel into this parallel universe. What made Sophie and her dad so special that
they could suddenly find themselves in the midst of one of these parallel
realities but the rest of us plain joe schmoes can’t do that???
For that reason, I had a hard time buying the whole
storyline. It felt like the end was
going to be some big reveal about mental illness instead. And what happened to bring everything to an
end was even more bizarre and unbelievable than the rest of the book. I don’t know.
I was left totally confused and in complete denial of any of the
explanations.
To me, this felt like one of those paranormal books that
doesn’t allow for the suspension of disbelief.
It felt as if the author wasn’t following her own rules, you know?
The writing was great and I enjoyed the characters to a
certain extent, I just never was able to buy into the explanations for the
dancing pandas. Honestly, I think that
Parallel by Lauren Miller is a better novel exploring string theory. (Read my review here.) The explanation for why only one person was
experiencing the parallel universe made more sense in that one because there
actually WAS an explanation.
The Soundtrack
She’s Lost Control by Joy Division
Brain Damage/Eclipse by Pink Floyd
Day Dream by Smashing Pumpkins
A Quiet Mind by Blue October
Parallel Universe by Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Final Grade
My final grade for this book is C-. This book just didn’t work for me. There are a lot of people who like it on Goodreads,
so you might want to read some more reviews of it, but it just fell flat for
me.
I received a copy of
this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I received no compensation, financial or
otherwise, for this review. And
certainly not a talking panda.
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