Under Story

by Chloe Benjamin

The New York Times bestselling author of The Immortalists returns with an intimate yet epic love story—and a sweeping odyssey of scientific discovery. Under Story invites us to consider the promise of this life, what might lie beyond it, and how far we would go for more time with the people we love, cementing Chloe Benjamin’s place among our best, and most lasting, storytellers.

“We wake up to tomorrow, never yesterday.”

At the end of the world, biologist Laurel Salter is hiding from everything she’s ever known. For ten hours a day, six days per week, she works as a dishwasher at McMurdo Station, an isolated research base in Antarctica. She tells no one that before she arrived, she was a renowned young scientist with a promising career, a husband, and a family.

But even in this remote outpost, Laurel can’t outrun her past. When a strange light appears across the ice—and draws a group of physicists to McMurdo—her former husband, Eli, won't be far behind.

Laurel is captivated by the Arc: its surreal glow; the way it seems almost alive. And though Eli is reluctant to test her wildest theory, Laurel is convinced that the Arc leads down a rabbit hole, and into a world, they can barely imagine. Can she persuade him to risk everything to fix the burden that hangs between them—to turn back the clock and live their story a second time?

A breathless page-turner and a love letter to our planet, Under Story grapples with the great questions of our time: human hubris, the precarity of the natural world, and the mysterious webs of consciousness that bind us. A modern epic of science and soul, of bravery and redemption, it offers a vision of the future that demands we reckon with what we owe to one another, and to the earth itself.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Adult, Literary Fiction, Romance, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

512 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication September 15, 2026

About the author

Chloe Benjamin is the author of THE IMMORTALISTS, a New York Times Bestseller, and THE ANATOMY OF DREAMS. Her third novel, UNDER STORY, will be published in September 2026.

A Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, LibraryReads favorite, and #1 Indie Next pick, THE IMMORTALISTS was named a best book of 2018 by NPR, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, and others. THE ANATOMY OF DREAMS received the Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award and was long listed for the 2014 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.

Originally from San Francisco, CA, Benjamin is a graduate of Vassar College and the M.F.A. in fiction at the University of Wisconsin. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages. She lives with her husband and two Maine Coon cats in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Reviews

[Liz Hein · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most beautiful exploration of a what if I’ve read in a while.

. Laurel, a brilliant scientist, Is hiding from everything and everyone in the furthest place she can think of - an isolated research station on Antarctica. We know she is escaping a reality she cant quite face, and we slowly realize exactly why. When a strange yet beautiful arc suddenly appears (also drawing her husband, Eli, to Antarctica) alongside a long shot that they could perhaps turn time and do things all over again, Lauren and Eli are confronted with the most heart aching and mind bending of “what ifs”.

I finished this one with full body chills, but it’s also kind of heart to talk about without spoiling some of it’s power. Here’s what I think you do need to know: you must read some science stuff…you don’t have to understand it all, but the first half holds a lot of it. Keep going. This is also an exploration of grief, time, connectivity, and consciousness in a wholly original way. Once I realized what was happening, I raced to finish this. I needed to see Lauren and Eli through in a way that felt like they were in someway…mine? This was a deeply personal reading experience, and I imagine that will be the case for anyone that knows a captain G Grief.

I wish I could say more, but that might spoil some for you when this publishes September 1. Thank you @tinder_press for this e-galley. I cannot wait to talk with fellow readers about this one, and I hope Chloe Benjamin continues exploring these “what ifs”, helping each of us savor the good a little more each time.

[Claire Fuller]

A mind-bending, head-popping sci-fi love story full of intrigue and tenderness. 

[Allie Watters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Chloe Benjamin’s new book in a fever dream 24 hours where I simply could not put it down - this is a book that somehow manages to tackle big ideas - love, grief, rupture, the origin of life, time itself - in a vividly human story of two people who find themselves at the end of the earth, the end of so many things, and yet - on the cusp of discovery.

This book felt new, bold, and astonishing. It’s not so much a journey as a constant revelation.

The only question I’m left with as a reader is: Where will Chloe Benjamin take us next?

I, for one, can’t wait to find out.

[Kendra Oosterhouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Chloe Benjamin for the opportunity to review an ARC of Under Story!

Reading the synopsis, I was really interested in this unique sci-fi story about love, life and death, and the ultimate question of can we live our story a second time but in a different way. I liked the author’s authentic descriptions of grief, trauma, love, and loss. I felt gutted for the main characters throughout their journey. The story had good bones and a fascinating concept. Unfortunately, the first half was incredibly slow with an over abundance of backstory that didn’t feel central to the point. The author’s descriptions for some of the scientific processes were excessive when it wasn’t entirely part of the plot but rather filler.

I liked but didn’t love. Could have been condensed to a place where the concept was still there but you don’t get lost in the weeds of all the unneeded detail.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️ ARC Review from Netgalley

This book had a really intriguing premise, and there were a few moments I genuinely enjoyed, but overall the execution didn’t work for me.

The first 40% was weighed down by excessive backstory and unnecessary detail, which made the book drag. Some descriptions went far beyond what was needed which pulled me out of the story.

The worldbuilding raised more questions than it answered. Key concepts necessary for the story to make sense were either poorly explained or not explained at all. The rules of the world essentially didn't exist.

Late in the book, the timeline starts jumping back and forth between years, which only added to the confusion and was not necessary. It could have been told in order and it wouldn't have changed anything. It seemed like there were 15 different storylines happening at once, and half the time I didn't know which one I was as on.

If this hadn’t been an ARC, I likely would have DNF’d. There are good ideas here, and the premise itself is genuinely cool, but too much was either unexplained or poorly explained. It also couldve been easily half the length. For me, the confusion outweighed the intrigue.

[Madeline Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly ambitious book, unlike anything I've read before, that feels both intimate and cosmic. Under Story covers Antarctica, mycology and quantum physics, but also aging, love, memory, forgiveness and the ways our lives echo across time and space. It's heartbreaking, mind-bending and left me wanting to travel to McCurdo Station and across the duoverse. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book as much as this one, or the last time I stayed up until 2am reading because I couldn't put it down.

Highly recommend for fans of Nathan Hill's Wellness, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone's This Is How You Lose the Time War and the A24 film Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for this eARC

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I just closed the book and Wow.

I am a Chloe Benjamin fan, she also knits, it is a long story but this shared hobby likely drew me closer to her. I saw her speak about her last book “The Immortalists” at a coffee shop, she spoke of knitting. I have knit with Chloe. Subsequently, I have observed her for years through social media building this novel. It has been nothing short of painstaking and a labor of love. I have been waiting for this. I am not sorry.

The story is so epic, bear with me, as I can’t do it justice. Eli and Laurel meet very late in high school. Each brilliant in their own right. They both become acclaimed in their field of science and eventually they find their way back to one another. They marry and have Silas. Tragedy strikes which changes the trajectory of their lives together. They separately end up at McMurdo Station, a science hub in Antarctica. There is an anomaly that may allow them a way back. Can they find their way back to one another? The premise is so wild but also wildly imaginative - could there be an under story? I will let you discover what that is. It is magnificent. It is very very ambitious. It is a little science-y and there is a story (an under story) that needs groundwork laid; be patient, I believe you will be rewarded.

As a novice reviewer, I am anxious, where to go from here. I do not like spoiler reviews, yet I want you to want to read this book. The book feels heavy and thoughtful. It’s a book you prepare to have time for, to ponder. Make time for this book, you will not regret it.

[lola]

This book FUUuuCkkED with me!!!!!!!!!! I honestly feel like I went back in time I'm thirteen and just finished house of leaves. I gotta SIT on this but please read it when it comes out I will need 2 discuss with all

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and Putnam.

I really loved this book. I loved the science, I loved that I had to rethink how things might work, and I loved that I was constantly having to shift how I thought about the characters, their situations, and their reasons behind why they acted.

The story asks you to suspend a few beliefs, but gives you plausible reasons as to why you should do so. It's science fiction at its best because it makes you believe that maybe it really could be possible... while being grounded in fiction.

It's a story of loss, mistakes, regret, and love...and finding ourselves in the midst of all those things.

[Sarah Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooh this is so good
This is a unique and interesting novel which tells the story of Laurel and Eli who are a divorced couple it starts in a very naturalistic way when Laurel takes a job in an Antarctic research post in an attempt to get away from an unhappy marriage. The setting is immediately interesting and the claustrophobia of spending a winter with no sunlight down in Antarctica. Is a good place to start a book.

It Soon becomes clear that there is an additional element to this Story as not far from the base camp. There is a strange light which appears to be emanating on in an unworldly fashion from deep in the Earth. her ex’s husband is a physicist and has been developing a theory of parallel universes and when he unexpectedly appears in the same place drawn by the same weird physical occurrence it seems natural that they would want to investigate without giving too much the plot away this investigation leads them to a parallel universe one in which time moves backwards in a mirror image of our own universe
There’s some very sad parts of this novel. The family have lost a small child to a drowning accident and this is described beautifully and very poignantly in a very heart breaking section
Of course this is a sci-fi novel but the author manages to mix sci-fi and reality perfectly at all feels like it makes sense and you can suspend your disbelief just enough to thoroughly enjoy the book
I Loved the ending
The authors writing style is clear, precise and flowing and it’s a very enjoyable Read. I’ve very much enjoyed the time.I spent
Immersed in the novel.
I’m aware of this author‘s previous novels, but I’ve not read them myself
I would recommend this novel to those who enjoy an intelligent cerebral sci-fi novel with added emotional undertones. if you enjoyed to paradise by Hannah, Yanagihara for example then you will enjoy those novels
I originally copy of the novel on NetGalley UK in return for an honest review. The book is published in the UK. i’m the 1st of September 2026 by Headline books.
This review will appear in NetGalley UK, StoryGraph, Goodreads and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.Wordpress.com
After publication will also appear on Amazon UK and Waterstones

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Under Story by Chloe Benjamin

This was my first novel by Chloe Benjamin, and it won’t be my last. Under Story is an ambitious, layered work that weaves together climate science, family legacy and the quiet awe of the natural world.

Much of the novel centres on the research station in Antarctica, where scientists are studying fragile ecosystems at the edge of collapse. The depictions of fieldwork, ecological monitoring and the day-to-day realities of life at a remote research base feel authentic and immersive. As a biologist, I particularly valued the careful, well-embedded references to flora and fauna, evolutionary adaptation and environmental fragility. The science never feels superficial, it is integral to the emotional and thematic core of the story.

Running alongside the Antarctic research is the mystery of the “Arc” a strange, almost mythic phenomenon that hovers between scientific discovery and existential question. The characters are complex and quietly compelling, particularly those working on the research station, whose professional dedication sits in contrast to their personal uncertainties. The isolation of Antarctica sharpens their relationships and exposes their vulnerabilities, giving the novel both intellectual heft and emotional resonance.

The pacing is deliberate, but the atmosphere with stark landscapes, scientific inquiry and the slow unravelling of the Arc’s significance kept me fully engaged. It’s a novel that invites reflection rather than racing toward resolution.

A thoughtful, beautifully constructed exploration of science, climate and human connection. A very strong four-star read.

[katiethebookishworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had be in a chokehold. I didn’t read it fast, because I didn’t want it to end. On days when I didn’t read it, I still thought about it. It’s a story of love and loss. It’s a journey, an expedition or maybe an adventure. It’s beautiful. (But just to add, very science heavy. I’ve learnt loads of fascinating things about plant life, climate change, scientific developments, particals, dark matter). I would highly recommend this book, but don’t devour it, take your time to appreciate it. 🩷

[Cocopopalicious · Rating 5 out of 5]

What seems like a love story gone wrong, destroyed by the 'what ifs' of grief, flips and becomes an extremely complex science fiction novel, packing in more than I ever needed or wanted to know about the biology of fungi, and the physics of neutrinos!

At times the story of Laurel, and her sometimes-husband Eli becomes a little complex, and I am trusting the accuracy of the author in her references and timelines, but that is what is needed to create a world so different from our own, but with enough similarities to stimulate our imagination to other universes where the rules we are bound by are polar opposites.

I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of life on the Antarctica base.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you to Headline Books and Tinder Press. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under story by Chloe Benjamin. Thanks NetGalley, publisher and especially the author for the arc. Such a stunningly beautiful story filled with love and loss and heartbreak. What would you do to fix your relationship? Written with depth so you can visualise everything. Gorgeous. Loved everything about this book, the characters weren’t perfect which makes it all the more special to read.

[Dawn H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Under Story is a very ambitious and obviously required enormous amounts of research for the author. Fortunately for Chloe Benjamin, her hard work paid off in this beautiful, thought provoking novel. The author explores grief, love, loneliness and friendship in a way that gets under your skin.

I read this last month and knew very little about it other than part of the book takes place at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. I’m glad I had no prior knowledge of the plot and hadn’t read any reviews. It took a week or so of thinking back on this book after I’d finished it to determine my true feelings on it. It’s brilliant, at times confusing, at times heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful and I’m so grateful that I was able to read it. It’s completely different than anything I’ve read before. At first, the science was intimidating but the author delivers the information in a way that makes it understandable to someone without degrees in physics, botany or mycology (thank goodness or I would have been lost!) It’s not a quick read by any means, being over 500 pages in length, but it’s beautifully written and I was sad to see it end.

Highly recommend. It’s one of my favorite books of the past few years.

Thanks to Netgalley, Putnam and Tinder Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

[TheDorkSide13 📖📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully woven story of love, loss, and the lengths one will go to survive heartbreak. This engaging science fiction journey explores what a couple is willing to do to heal. The author creates a deeply layered main character in Laurel, whose emotional depth makes it easy to connect with her experiences. While the story is lengthy and richly detailed—at times making it easy to get lost in the science—the emotional weight and thought-provoking themes more than make up for it. Overall, this book delivers a powerful, reflective experience and earns a solid four-star rating that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Emma Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Under Story is one of the most unique and mesmerising books I’ve ever read, a book that comes along once in a lifetime, sparks an a new energy in you and fires into your synapses.

I would expect no less from Chloe Benjamin, I loved The Immortalists by her, still often think about it and recommend it to family and friends; and Under Story surpassed every expectation I had of it.

We follow Laurel, a fungi scientist, from her early childhood into adulthood and back again, as she deals with the aftermath of the worst possible tragedy. Now divorced, she decides to move to an outpost in Antarctica, where a mysterious Arc has appeared in the sky, shimmering green and pink.

But Laurel seemingly cannot escape from her life or grief, as her ex-husband Eli unexpectedly arrives to Antarctica to research the Arc among his fellow physicists.

Laurel and Eli reconnect and reminisce, leading them to take a leap of faith that will change the course of their lives forever.

From here we enter the mind-bending phase of the novel - explaining it further will spoil the fun - but trust me when I say you will never guess where this is going.

Beautifully written, heartfelt and touching, Under Story explores themes of grief, humanity, sciences, environment, and the fleeting nature of all that surrounds us. It will make your brain hurt in the best possible way, and will leave you with a new appreciation for life.

Chloe Benjamin is, in my opinion, on par with Donna Tartt and deserves all the same kind of hype.

Please add this to you TBR immediately

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with other reviewers that it's best to go into this book blind, so I won't give too much of a synopsis!

I really wanted to like this book more than I did, and I found the concept fascinating and truly mind-bending. Unfortunately, I think the switch-up about halfway through made the second half of the book really drag for me, and certain parts stretched the limits of my imagination (but maybe this is a me problem). I would probably give the first third 5 stars, the second or so third 3 stars, and the last third 2 stars. Ultimately giving it 2.5 stars rounded up to a 3!

This is clearly a very well-researched book with ambitious ideas; unfortunately, I think the author wrote herself into a corner which made the second half feel slow and stilted for me. I also felt the ending didn't deliver, although the set-up did give the author room to explore some philosophical concepts. Still, I really admire the scope and scale of what she tried to do, and I applaud that she was able to write such complex and interesting characters in such interesting settings.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this one. It’s beautifully written, with vivid, immersive descriptions of the natural world, especially in the Antarctica sections, which were my favorite. The book explores themes of grief, love, and our relationship to the planet in a way that felt sincere and thoughtful.

The first part completely pulled me in. Laurel is a compelling character, and the beauty and isolation of Antarctica creates such an atmospheric backdrop for the story.

For me, the novel lost some momentum in the second half as it leans more heavily into its speculative elements. I found those sections a bit harder to follow, and the logic didn’t always seem to make sense. While I could appreciate the ambition behind it, I had trouble staying fully immersed.

That said, I loved the character work throughout the novel, and there’s no denying Benjamin’s talent as an author. Even when it didn’t fully land for me, it was still an engaging and thought-provoking read.

In the end, while I didn’t love this book, I can definitely see it resonating with other readers, especially those drawn to science fiction with a speculative edge.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

Chloe Benjamin’s upcoming third novel, Under Story, charts an expedition into uncharted territory: two parents, who are still grieving the loss of their son, find themselves in a parallel universe where they hope to undo the past and save their child. It’s every grieving parent’s hope for a second chance. This book was such a departure from other types of fiction for me. Part science fiction, part dystopian fiction, I was completely hooked from beginning to end. The author’s prose was strong, the plot was solid, and I couldn’t stop worrying about the characters. I barreled through the last 25% of the book. In a way, it was also a coming of age story for our protagonists, which can be hard to explain unless you read the book.

So why 4 stars? (I rounded down from 4.5 ⭐️.)

Honestly, parts of this story were unnecessarily confusing. I had to keep going back to make sure the details fit, and I’m not sure I fully agreed with the execution of the whole story. In our universe, it is understood that we are moving towards chaos and things decomposing or falling apart, time moves forward and people age; in the anti universe, we move towards things building together, aging younger, time moves backwards. It’s an amazing concept until you really look at the details. In some sense, the anti universe shows devolution of our world, but it’s presented as moving towards innocence; we age in our normal universe and move towards wisdom, but it’s presented as a way for things to decompose. In all, the Duoverse is a circle that cannot be broken and our lives continuously move through the same cycle. I couldn’t get over how contradictory some of the content was—the past is always shown to be a time of innocence and a period when things were “better”, but what about the lack of technology and medicine and life saving care? What about slavery, the Holocaust, the Plague, empires taking over lands that didn’t belong to them? That doesn’t sound like life being built or a return to innocence to me.

The problem with these recent dystopian novels that discuss the future’s unknown and the deconstruction of the environment is that they cast the past as some long gone age where things were better. Nothing can be further from the truth. Yes, the author briefly touches on the return to these horrible times in our history, but she glosses right past it.

Overall, this was such a unique, beautiful, heartbreaking novel that I couldn’t stop thinking about until it was finished. Yes, it had plot holes, but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable. I’m sure other readers will love it just as much even if there is room for improvement.

[Nancy Klarich · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC electronic copy.

I was more than half way through this book
but I just couldn’t finish it. The premise of the book caught my attention, an alternative life found through a mysterious portal near the research camp at the South Pole. When the alternate life was a “backwards” world in which time reversed and “old” people were born to their children I gave up. Just not for me. Although I was fascinated by the study of the female scientist in this world - the study of fungus that learned from its previous “life” , whether this was true or not it was interesting. Maybe others will enjoy but just too far out there for me.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think I wrongly chose this book, believing it to be about the Antarctic, which greatly interests me, with a bit of time travel thrown in. Instead, it turned out to be more of a dual-world story than an icy adventure. As such, it did not attract my attention.
Initially, this felt like a lecture in many places e.g. Hilma af Klint’s story, then the backwards other life started, and it was too weird for me, as I’m not into science fiction. Other people will probably enjoy it though.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
the alternate life was a “backwards” world in which time reversed and “old” people were born to their children and they then got younger and younger

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. It captured so much about the preciousness and fragility of life, and the joy and grief of being a parent, all wrapped up in a really intriguing, original story. I'll now be hunting down the author's other books. Thanks to her, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable book that I will be thinking about for a long time. At its heart, it’s a love story set through two worlds, but it also explores deep questions about the nature of reality through the sciences that Laurel and Eli study. Imagine everything you think you know about the world, and flip that on its head. My mind is blown.

[Syd Sheldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Y’all know when you read a book and as cool as the book is, you find you’re more impressed just knowing that someone’s brain created the book?!?! That was Under Story and Chloe Benjamin to me. I believe that chasing the high of Project Hail Mary tremendously helped me be in the mood for this one because there is SO MUCH science and my nerdy self adores that but like PHM, Under Story has you questioning what life is to you and also has a deeply moving and profound prose at the heart and then feeling smarter while reading is just icing on the cake. This one will stay with me until I find myself somewhere else in the universe (or antiuniverse) 🙂🙃

[Delia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege of reading an advance copy of Under Story by Chloe Benjamin, and it’s a novel that unfolds quietly but leaves a lasting emotional impression.

Benjamin has a remarkable ability to explore the unseen layers of people’s lives, the emotional ecosystems beneath the surface of ordinary moments. This book feels less like a traditional plot-driven story and more like an exploration of connection, memory, and the ways our lives intertwine with one another in ways we don’t always recognize.

One of the most striking elements of the novel is how Benjamin finds beauty inside grief. There were moments that were genuinely difficult to read emotionally, not because they were gratuitous, but because the writing is so deeply attuned to the experience of loss. She captures grief with such honesty and precision that you can almost feel it alongside the characters. The emotional depth of these moments makes the quieter reflections throughout the book feel even more powerful.

At the same time, there is a tenderness in the way Benjamin writes about these experiences. Even when the novel moves through painful emotional territory, it never loses sight of the small, fragile beauty that can still exist within those moments.

Readers who appreciate contemplative, character-driven literary fiction will likely find a lot to admire here. Benjamin’s prose invites you to slow down and sit with the characters’ inner worlds, asking thoughtful questions about the stories we carry with us: about identity, memory, and the narratives we create to understand our lives.

Under Story is a reflective and emotionally resonant novel that lingers long after the final page.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a novel. Under Story is riveting yet tender, intellectually stimulating, and sob-inducing. Not since Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go has anyone written such a profound exploration of what it means to be human, or to love. The less a reader knows going into this novel, the better. So is the power of Chloe Benjamin’s storytelling. I have shelved this one on my all-time favorites list and will be thinking about it for years to come.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for an advance copy of this new book that looks at a new discovery at the coldest, most barren place on earth, a woman heart's after fleeing from her marriage to Antarctica, and the discovery she makes on the ice.

There has been a long history of people leaving when things go wrong, to rediscover a place where they can make things right. Or at least feel right. Or to even stay more lost. Go west, takeoff to the Great White North, go somewhere. Fleeing is something, an action that one can do to try and make the pain, the fear, the anger, the resentment go away. Find something that holds one's attention for hours, days weeks at a time. However the problem with running is that sometimes you stop, and life comes right back at you. And when one is a scientist, and that life is a discovery that might change everything, well fleeing is the last thing on the mind. Especially when one might be able to fix the past in different ways. Under Story is a a novel by Chole Benjamin about running, love lost, the ice, the world, and a discovery that shows that world is bigger than we are, and maybe our problems are just a small hill of beans in a vast cosmic ocean.

Laurel Salter is overqualified for the job she has washing dishes and keeping clean the cafeteria in McMurdo Station, a research facility in the most barren place on Earth, Antarctica. Salter is running from a failed marriage, a crushed family, and a science career as a biologist that was once so important to her, that now means nothing. For ten hours a day, six days a week Salter cleans plates, makes friends with the other oddballs who went South, and tries to forget and heal. Until the day light is seen on the ice, and things start to change. A multinational group of physicists come to McMurdo, to investigate a scientific discovery that might change the world. One of this physicists is her former husband, Eli, who while brilliant still misses much in the world, and even what this discovery can mean. Laurel is sure this is way bigger, and far more dangerous than people expect, and could change things in different ways, even the way Laurel and Eli feel about each other.

In the last few years more and more writers are starting to use more and more science fiction tropes in their stories, but not really writing science fiction stories. Benjamin has created a really wonderful story, full of wonder and science, and speculative thoughts, but this is a book more focused on the inner-space, rather than outer space. Benjamin has created characters that feel real, and feel in ways that are rare in a lot of books. Especially Laurel. One can see her change, as the book goes on, from done with the world, to finding wonder in the world, and finally to wanting to take part in and make the world better. Benjamin is also a very good writer, really keeping the science, the people and what is happening balanced, without losing sight of the story.

A really daring book, and an impressive feat. I really enjoyed this story quite a bit. Fans of the writer will enjoy this, as will people who are not afriad of science fiction, nor want to think a bit while reading their fiction. This is the first that I have read by Benjamin, and look forward to more.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may just be my favorite read of the year. I will admit, I requested this just because I was enthralled by the cover. Then, only after that did I read the premise and it did absolutely pique my interest. I may be studying humanities now, but there will always be a little science nerd living in some corner of my heart and in Under Story, Chloe Benjamin speaks directly to that part of me. I was captured from the first page, unable to put the book down (or, well, close NetGalley reader on my laptop) even as I was supposed to be focusing on writing my final essays while reading this. Cannot even say I'm sorry to have been so distracted, because Under Story deserves everyone's attention, actually.

Under Story is built around the most fascinating concept: what if there was a second universe, almost exactly like our, but time moved baackwards there? Since I have not studied any natural science past high school level, I have zero idea how accurately Benjamin portrays the scientific factors of this novel, but she nonetheless writes everything so convingly I started imaginging what it would be like if this theory were to be true not only in the novel but also in our world. Thus, safe to say, I have been sold on her writing abilities in terms of worldbuilding and crafting characters. But not only does Under Story excel at that, the prose, too, is simply beautiful and flows so naturally despite all the time wonkiness.

As for the characters, I loved the vividity of each character, even minor ones, but Laurel and Eli truly are captivating and Silas... Well, let's just say this family has my whole heart and the way the relationships between them are portayed is just heartwrenching, both in the happiness and sorrow theey brought me while reading. I found myself relating to Laurel's narrative very well despite having gone practically none of the the significant life experiences she has, which really speaks to Benjamin's writing talent. I delighted and cried with her, grew and ungrew with her.

So, to conclude, there is nothing else for me to do but to sing my praises of Under Story and Chloe Benjamin once again. Or well, it could never be just once again because I don't think I'll ever be able to stop thinking and therefore talking about this novel. It is simply so unique and singular, I am completely in love with it, September cannot come soon enough, I need a physical version of this brilliant story in my hands NOW!

Thank you, Headline | Tinder Press & NetGalley, for providing me with the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and views expressed are my own.

[Books Before Bs · Rating 1 out of 5]

‘Under Story’ by Chloe Benjamin is a novel of two halves, and the second half is so bad I wish I could erase the whole thing from my memory.

(Just to be clear, the first half is far from flawless, but when it’s followed by time going in reverse and a child dying by being absorbed via his mother’s vagina, decomposing in utero for nine months, then the resultant sperm being suctioned out by his father’s penis in a “sex pollen”-style romp, well…problems like a FMC whose default reaction to everything is to cry and a cast of minor characters who are all so underdeveloped that they are each reduced to the diversity checkbox they are ticking—‘the gay one’, ‘the trans one’, ‘the polyamorous one’—pale in comparison.)

The main problem with ‘Under Story’ is that it is a ‘Big Idea’ novel, where the author clearly thought the notion of a universe where time goes in reverse would be interesting—only, it doesn’t work, and the story fabricated around it is abandoned about 60% of the way through, leaving the reader following characters aimlessly drifting through a world of plot holes, nonsense, and WTF moments.

Overall, this book is a big ’no’ for me. The antiuniverse doesn’t make sense and hasn’t been thought through properly (if it had, the idea would have been abandoned before the first draft), inconsistencies aren’t addressed (like how come Pokémon don’t exist when they haven’t yet been uninvented, and why do people celebrate the date on which they will—in the future—be foetalised when it isn’t a cause for celebration and they don’t know when that date will be?), the inconsistencies that are addressed are explained away in ways that aren’t plausible or satisfying (We Don’t Talk About Celeste), the characters are unsympathetic and/or poorly developed (neglectful parents and diversity quota stereotypes), and all attempts at craft and logic are thrown out at the end (giving up on science in favour of séance? suddenly they can joint dream?? a deus ex machina solution…really??? ). Also, for the life of me, I cannot read the term ‘Duoverse’ without picturing a green-feathered overlord.

So, yeah, I wish I had a portal or device (details of which can change randomly according to plot needs) that could transport me back in time to before I started reading ‘Under Story’. I would not make the same mistake again.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Chloe Benjamin, and Tinder Press for the ARC.

⚠️ Death of child, suicidal ideation, drug use, suicide