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ALL THIS AND MORE by Peng Shepherd (HarperCollins; 480 pages; $37)
All This And More is a very strange book. It would be so, even if its premise was not based on quantum physics.
Peng Shepherd has a unique perspective for her novel – the book posits that a reality television show could really change reality. A permanent change is possible by choice.
That’s where quantum physics comes in – the study of the most basic elements of life; matter and energy at a fundamental level. Luckily, as a reader, one doesn’t have to be a physicist. All one has to do is accept the principle and if one accepts the brilliant science fiction writing of Isaac Asimov or Frank Herbert, you’re halfway there.
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But be ready for a non-traditional way of presenting, on paper, what is essentially a romance read.
All This and More is the reality show’s title and also its premise — you can have it all and get more. What’s not to love about that when one lives in a greedy, me-first society? Is there a person in the world so satisfied with his or her ordinary life that some change would not be a lovely idea to play with?
The show’s premiere is a surprise and its first season is a stunning worldwide success. Its second season, eagerly anticipated, soon disappears without warning or explanation. What happened? That’s the mystery behind the novel.
Marsh is a middle-aged wife and mother. Her childhood dream of becoming a lawyer has been dashed by circumstances — marriage and pregnancy. She applies for the reality show’s third season and, when accepted, is greeted by the inanely perky star of the first season, Talia, who carries the so-called Show Bible (which grows exponentially) and is Marsh’s guide.
With every episode, Marsh’s life changes and whirls. And, naturally, there is a ‘but’ to all of this. But what happens to her husband as the story unfolds? What happens to her daughter? And, what happened to Season 2?
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The beating heart of All This And More is nothing more than a romance novel with a twist. It’s the twists that make plowing through nearly 500 pages worth the effort; either that or the fact it’s been a summer read.
Curiously enough, the novel starts with instructions on how to read the book. The author writes: “This is a book about choices … you have a choice about how you want to read it.” At the end of every chapter i.e. “episode” of the show, you are given a choice of what to read next.
I chose the conventional route, being a conventional reader, although I did put the book aside for at least three weeks because I was bored with the romance angle, Marsh herself, and the social media comments offered, I finally finished it. (Hint: The social media comments are integral to solving the mystery, but they are a foreign concept to someone my age and technological ignorance.)
Also, why would I skip around at the end of each chapter? This isn’t a book of short stories. But I liked the novel, if only for its amusing and different construct, if not necessarily for the ordinariness of the romance angle.
To be truthful, I have not read either of Shepherd’s other two novels, The Cartographers and The Book of M, speculative fiction not being my favourite. I’m not keen on sword and sorcery, either, but based on All This And More, I’m willing to try.
Catherine Ford is a regular columnist for the Calgary Herald.
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