The Year We Finally Solved Everything

by Rudolf Kerkhoven

"Shan Won seems to only exist deep within the dark rumor-crazed underbelly of the internet.  But the common thread throughout all this writing is glaringly people stumble upon Shan Won, espouse its perfection, and never, ever--ever--return.The global economy is in tatters not because of humanity's faults but because of its accomplishment.  The country of Shan Won, a small island state off the coast of China, has cured all of our ills, and like a black hole, a piercing singularity of perfection, it's sucking theworld dry of its stability and leadership and power.Human traffickers become overwhelmed with smuggling hordes of North Americans across to Asia for a better life.  And for Richard, to whom growing up seems to have solved nothing at all, escape seems to be his only option.  But when he becomes reacquainted with Mia, the girlfriend of his twenties, he's no longer certain about just what's the problem and what's the solution.  He only knows that he's running out of time. The Year We Finally Solved Everything is a dark, ironic and fast-paced novel (55 000 words) about the sacrifices one makes to achieve perfection.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 22, 2010

About the author

Rudolf Kerkhoven has been writing novels that range from serious to silly ever since he had hair. He lives with his wife and two children in the Vancouver area of British Columbia where he teaches secondary school mathematics—a pleasant sweet & salty contrast to his creative writing.

His best selling book is The Most Boring Book Ever Written (with Daniel Pitts), which somehow seems appropriate.

Reviews

[Lynxie · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know when you have a great idea, and you're really excited to explore that great idea, delve deep into it and have a poke around to see if it really is a great idea?! Well, sadly, I fear that Rudolf could have done a bit more digging and a bit more polishing of what he found.

The outline of the story is reasonable. In fact I'd argue that it's a rather ingenious idea, but alas the way in which it was executed fell far, far below the mark.

The main character, Richard, is a useless imbecile. He's not even funny when he thinks he's being funny. He's abrasive and immature and immediately put me off reading the story. The female characters also leave little to be desired, Mia is snarky and rude, Anna: a poster child for mental health issues managed poorly and don't even get me started on Richard's best friend...

The writing is stilted and repetitive to the nth degree. At several points in the book there's about 15 lines that start with the same few words. The same ideas and concepts are hashed and rehashed and driven so far into the reader's face it's almost as invasive as having your eyes examined by an optometrist.

The way in which society crumbled in the book seemed rather explosive, but not so far outside of the realm of possible that it wasn't believable, at least a little. If the writing were more palatable I might have allowed some of the other issues, but sadly all together this was a pretty average read. I'm quite glad it was a freebie.

I liked the idea, but loathed the execution of the book. I honestly couldn't recommend it, unless you wanted editing practice.

A few things I noticed:
36-37% pay phone is hyphenated in one instance and not in another.
57% - We walk(talk) about waiting on the couch...
92% - I can't breath(e) and I reach...

[J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted very much to like this book, but by the time I finished it, I was glad it was free. The main character had very little to make him likable, becoming less likable as his trials to get to Shan Won progressed. There were some technical issues (grammar, etc) that were more aggravating and distracting since I was already aggravated by the storytelling. The ending to Shan Won was moderately satisfying, but could have been better. Still, I'm not mad that I read this one. Recommendation: give it a try while it's free.

[Kyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cool idea but I still stopped reading it.

[Melissa Etheridge · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried and had to give up. Boring as all get out.

[Shawn Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world is falling apart. The economy is in the tank, people are losing jobs, civil society is starting to break down, and people are disappearing. But there is a glimmer of hope - letters and postcards from "The Disappeared"; succinct and to the point, they have found paradise.

Shan Won, a small island near China, doesn't need money. They don't have disease. They are engaged in no wars. There is no hunger. But there is also proof other than the short notes from The Disappeared who make it to the island. Until a CNN journalist returns to tell them that the assumed paradise is Paradise indeed.

Richard wants to go. He needs to go, and as he prepares to go he witnesses the further collapse of society. The world is spinning out of control faster than he ever thought possible.

Surprisingly, since I really liked this book, I have to admit that I really didn'tlike the main character. Richard is simple, vapid, and lazy. Or, perhaps he was depressed, which made him look like he was lazy. In any case, he seemed to drift through his life and just let things happen to him. Even arranging for his passage to Shan Won is an exercise in making plans without actually making plans.

At heart, this story is about the yin and the yang of existence. As Shan Won, the perfect place, grows, the rest of the world decays. The balance of the world is upset.

Although there are moments when this book seemed to drag, there was never a moment when I thought I should put it down and try something else for awhile. And the end was completely unexpected.

Well, except for the love story aspect of the end. I saw that part coming.

[Lianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty intriguing story, and one that struck a chord with me in these tough economic times. Just how would society react to the promise of a perfect place, especially when it seems the rest of the world is falling to pieces? Does it really exist, is it right that it does, and what about those get left behind?

It's quite a short book and not without its faults (it may seem a bit mundane to some, and the main character isn't someone you really warm to, but both seem deliberate by the author to me). However, I read it in just a couple of days, not because it was short, but I was hooked right from the start and couldn't wait to finish it.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super short and an easy read - I was able to get sucked into it pretty quickly, thanks to the author's writing. I found it completely intriguing and I didn't want to put it down - I wanted to find out more about this place Shan Won, the place that finally solved everything and where everyone wanted to go. I guess that's not really the point of the book though, and for that I felt a bit let down. But otherwise I found this book really good and would totally recommend it!

[T.D. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting premise, but I just wasn't able to get into it. I kept trying - every time I about gave up and just stopped reading it I convinced myself that the next chapter was going to finally grab me. It really never did. I just kind of slogged through it and found myself vaguely depressed and unsatisfied when it was finally over.

[Keni Arts · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning of this book is intriguing. Unfortunately it slowly descends to depressing with very little relief.

This book needs a great bit of editing. The author often paints the same scene many times over with too little change in color or composition.

The ending leaves the impression that the world has slipped into an even deeper moral decay than that which enraged its citizens to escape.

[Shubhangi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really different to all of the other books I've read. It was a really interesting read and I enjoyed it until the end. However, not a lot happened for the majority of the book- most of the action happens at the end. And the mystery of what Shan Won was like is never solved, which is slightly frustrating, but this was still a very readable book.

[Corinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems that many of the lower reviewers missed the point of this book. Yes, the main character is sullen, unlikable and dismal in some places. Not every main character should be "likeable". This book felt real. It was gritty, disturbing and often times made me rethink how I would act if the world around me came tumbling down.

[Tom Vogt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise, and the book starting off strong. Unfortunately, it needed to be developed much more than it was. Left a very unsatisfying feeling once finished. My 2 stars might have been a bit generous.

[Lynette · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story had a great premis. I'm just disappointed with a lot of aspects of this book. It could be a lot better with a fair amount of editing, story development, likeable main character, and cutting the heavy salting of the f word down to at most 1-2 times per chapter.

[grundoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing premise which spawns several plot lines all with good pull, at least for this reader. Then it all quickly ends as an allegorical tale of sorts - unfortunate, as it felt there was quite a bit of potential left on the table... answers would have been far preferable to moral.

[Carolynyochum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Free book on Kindle. Quick read. Not that bad.

[Joe Faust · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readable indie novel about one man’s struggle to get to a literal paradise during apocalyptic times .

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh - Interesting premise, but just left me feeling like I'd wasted a few hours of my life when I got to the end.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept was interesting...the content was just a little dull