Plot:

No one knew it at the time, but April 19, 2011, was the most important day in the history of the world.

After his only friend and colleague, John Manta, disappears without a word, Dave Randall further entrenches himself in the humdrum life of an unenthusiastic lawyer. But once he begins to understand what happened, he embarks on a journey to uncover the deeper meanings and implications of John’s fate.

Accompanied by Peaches the cat, Dave uproots his life and reinvents himself in the midst of his search. Along the way, he is haunted by his piecemeal understanding of John’s fate and what it means for his existence. Little does Dave know, his journey of self-discovery will have ramifications that extend far beyond the borders of his own little life.

Review:

Firstly, the cover is so pretty and colourful!

Secondly, this novels plot grabbed my attention so I would like to thank Daniel the author for the advanced readers copy. I began reading this before it was officially published.

Now onto the review, this novel begins with the whole present and past tense. We are introduced to the main character Dave’s day during April 19th 2011. The day this novel focuses on. Then we are taken back in time to when Dave and John first met. I love how this novel is focused within the job itself as they are working within a law firm. The two meet during a mundane task that is beneath both of them however as with everything – someone has to do it! A great conversation starter too.

It’s interesting to learn about this omniscience although it still does not make sense how a human can be chosen to be this god figure. I do not like the idea of books being at all religious because it’s preaching however this novel is different as the main character goes from being stuck in a routine where he works for the law doing things without question. To quitting and starting a new life elsewhere trying to figure out what he wants to do. Later on he becomes a teacher and meets this woman called Abby, and events leading to disappointments and questioning in God.

The novel progresses well throughout each stage of life as it passes over years throughout. Some quotes I really enjoyed include:

“Nothing is worth doing if you have to give up even a fraction of your soul in the process”

“When you’re really living, there is something in your life that you are afraid, at some level, of losing.”

“I want to change the world for the better, but I’m not always sure how to do it. And it can be too daunting at times to consider the big picture.”

“Joy is a positive force that fills a day with moments that are truly worth living.”

At first, like Dave, I was very annoyed God/John would let such a horrible thing happen if he can control it from not happening. But the role is to let us make our own decisions and be responsible for the consequences. Despite some horrible things that happen in life. Some would always turn to religion and curse at why would whoever is out there, do that to the world? Because life is not peachy – no pun intended. Life is made to have ups and downs as it does shape who we are.

Overall, at the beginning it took me a while to understand the idea of omniscience however by the end of it I found myself emotional at times with sadness and joy once things finally developed properly (within the story’s plot of wanting the happy ever after), it’s rare for me to give 5 star ratings however this one deserves it as I cannot find a major fault in anyway. I really did enjoy the message of this read and how it was written and how it progressed.

5/5 Stars