The Novelist: When Time Means Everything

by Susan B. Iris

Meet Sylvia Blair – a driven, overworked executive and editorial assistant at Reeves Publishers, juggling the demands of a relentless career, a complex love life, and the haunting weight of past traumas. Her world in 2014 is suffocating, trapped between a domineering boss and an emotionally needy boyfriend, Matt. But when a mystical twist pulls Sylvia back to 1978 Manhattan, she finds herself in an unfamiliar world that offers both escape and enlightenment.

As she navigates the gritty streets of New York’s past, Sylvia must confront her deepest the loss of her mother, her crumbling relationship, and the fear of losing her closest friend . Will she find the balance she’s been searching for, or will the ghosts of both timelines keep her from truly living?

How far would you go to rewrite the story of your life?

279 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 2, 2024

About the author

I learned how to read at a very young age (by age 6) and I have been a devoted reader since then. I was amazed at that young age, how words could come together and form characters, worlds and plots (I was reading Little Golden Books, Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes and Beatrix Potter books and a few years later, Roald Dahl and Beverly Cleary). During the same time, I became aware of music and how it tended to turn on my imagination to create my own characters, intricate worlds and plots.

At the age of 9, my passion for reading turned into a passion for writing stories, and I’ve carried this passion with me ever since then and continue forward with it.

When I am not writing, I continue to do a lot of reading (including research for the current or next book I am working on) and listening to music. I don’t watch much TV but I do enjoy films, mostly international or classical films, and I love theatre/musicals.

Reviews

[Roger Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

📚 Book Review 📚
The Novelist
By
Susan B. Iris
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sylvia Blair is a hard-working, conscientious, vocation-driven editorial assistant and an executive at Reeves Publishers, living in Toronto in the year 2014. She is also a woman caught up in the turmoil of a merciless career, a demanding boss, and an emotionally deprived boyfriend. Sylvia still carries the drama of losing her mother at an early age and the anxiety of a relationship that seems to be going nowhere. Sylvia's life seems to be crumbling around her until she is gifted a special medallion, a gift that will change her life and send her spiraling back in time to Manhattan in the year 1978 when computers were just beginning to evolve and cell phones were non-existent. Sylvia’s life just got a whole lot more complicated and the ramifications of how she reacts could change the future. Returning to the year 2014, her time, if possible, is her biggest challenge.
I enjoyed this twist on time travel and thought the story was well-developed and thought-provoking. The interpersonal relationships were fascinating and developed fittingly as the story progressed and the reader found out more about Sylvia’s life. The elements of tension, suspense, and romance added to the story’s mood and intrigue. The pacing of the plot is steady and will keep the reader turning pages effortlessly. The story was well written and I would recommend it to those looking for a time-travel adventure into the not-so-distant past. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Readers Copy

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sylvia Blair is an overworked, underappreciated employee of Reeve’s Publishing House in Toronto, Canada, in 2014. Her boss, Eunice Michaels, is a demanding, petty perfectionist executive who never admits her own mistakes. She gives Sylvia an impossible project to compete overnight, which results in Sylvia quarreling with her boyfriend and him l=leaving her apartment. Holding a strange medallion that Ralph has given her, she wishes she were anywhere else and wakes up in a hospital in New York City in 1978.

In New York, she interacts with characters she has created in unfinished, unpublished manuscripts and with the younger versions of people from Reeves Publishing as well as her mother, aunt and a healthy Ralph. Despite being told to stay away from people who exist in her own time, Sylvia makes an effort to confront and warn those she cares about and to befriend Eunice, who is working at Reeves Publishing.

I like time travel whether by mystic/magical means or by “scientific” mechanism. But I have an issue with this book—the change of tenses throughout chapters. Most of the chapter would be in past tense--“they reached,” “Eunice stepped,” her eyes “burned”-- followed in the same paragraph or the next with action or description in the present tense--“Eunice is. . .” I found this disconcerting and it would throw me out of the story.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Book Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Novelist" is an ambitious and attention‑grabbing second novel, helped by its striking cover and compelling title. This story follows a struggling young writer whose bleak present-day life in an oppressive career is laid out in exhaustive detail.

The opening section, though necessary groundwork, feels slow and overly drawn out and is marked by a certain naïveté about the working world. Also, the heavy emphasis on “showing” over “telling” tests reader attention while the protagonist’s hardships accumulate.

But then, as if a switch was flipped, the novel truly sparks to life once the main character slips into a parallel version of the 1970s—a world inhabited by both the fictional characters from the book she’s writing and younger versions of people she knows in her own time. The writing is fresher, punchier so all these encounters give the narrative a fresh, playful energy.

This work might benefit from stronger editing, for example to correct the unexplained shifts from past to present tense, that interrupt the flow and momentarily pull the reader out of the story.

But overall "The Novelist" is an enjoyable work displaying the great creative promise author Iris has as a compelling storyteller.

[Mitchell Waldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Novelist by Susan B. Iris is a creative, engaging, romp of a novel that will keep you turning the pages. When the protagonist, Sylvia Blair, overworked in her job, facing the possible effects of a company "restructuring" at her workplace at a publishing house, and stressed in her relationship with her boyfriend, Matt, who wants to step up their relationship, and a novelist on the side, wishes for a moment to escape her current situation, is through a magic medallion, is sent back in time from 2014 to 1978, from her home of Toronto to New York City, where she, unaccountably, meets characters from her own fiction alive, and family members, friends, and coworkers, in the past, but loses the medallion, all hell breaks loose. Will she ever get back to her real life, job, and acquaintances, will she, by intervening in the real family members and her sick friend in real life, but in the past, affect the future by her actions, and will she ever find her way back to her real life? This story will keep you turning the pages. Although there were a few typos and editing errors, this did not significantly detract from the mesmerizing tale that author Iris spins. A page turner, for sure!

[Marcia Vida · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading The Novelist! It captivated me right from the first page and I didn’t let go until the end. It's a brilliant twist that intertwines time travel, adding an exciting layer that makes it unforgettable. It’s one of those books that keeps you on the edge of your seat!

The characters are well-developed, and the story offers the right balance of mystery, tension, and emotional depth. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thought-provoking fiction.

Worth a try.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Mixon Trammell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A riveting, brainy journey through time. The characters are relatable and fleshed out, allowing readers to relate to what they're going through. The story weaves seamlessly through different time periods, and each twist adds depth and fascination. From there, the tale deftly grapples with the whorls and tangles of taking a journey from the present into the past, asking fundamental questions about our fates and the consequences of our decisions. Fascinating read that stays with you well after you’ve read the last page. Definitely worth picking up!

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It’s amazing how Susan B. Iris has been able to weave all of this together from her main character going from the year 2014 and then to Manhattan 1978. Susan B. Iris has a vivid imagination that will keep the reader on their toes, wondering what will happen next. And what happens next, will not disappoint.

[Susan Cottenham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This time-travel book is exciting and thought-provoking. The characters are relatable, and the story moves smoothly through different time periods. Each twist keeps you interested, exploring what happens when we are from the modern era and going back in time. It is a great read that makes you think about fate and choices. Highly recommended!

[Donna McCully · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly imaginative read with an interesting twist on time travel. I really enjoyed this book.

[CC Legault · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers will love joining Sylvia on her journey through time, where every choice sends ripples through history, and the greatest adventure is the one within.