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Miranda
Michael is different from you and me. He lives his life in reverse, from the day he died back to the day he was born. It's hard to make friends when you're travelling in the wrong direction of time. In fact the only true friend he had his little dog, Doof. Until one day, Michael meets Miranda, and his life changes for ever.
* From the paperback edition
* From the paperback edition
108 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 27, 2016
My reading group read John Little's The Memory Tree not too long ago and it was a big hit, so I was excited when Miranda was chosen for last week's group read.
This book was nothing like what I expected. In fact, I'm still a little confused by it and have had a hard time sorting out my feelings. Mr. Johnson dies and then begins living his life backwards. This is where the confusion sets in. People are talking forward but Mr. Johnson is hearing backwards. This and all of the other backward things made my head hurt.
What did come across very well is Mr. Johnson's loneliness. It's heartbreaking, so the reader is happy when he meets Miranda, who is also living her life backwards. From there on, well there's only one way it can end, isn't there? Or is there another way out? You'll have to read it and see for yourself.
This tale requires some thought from the reader, while at the same time demanding that the reader not put too much thought into certain aspects. If that sounds intriguing to you, give it a shot, you'll probably enjoy it!
This book was nothing like what I expected. In fact, I'm still a little confused by it and have had a hard time sorting out my feelings. Mr. Johnson dies and then begins living his life backwards. This is where the confusion sets in. People are talking forward but Mr. Johnson is hearing backwards. This and all of the other backward things made my head hurt.
What did come across very well is Mr. Johnson's loneliness. It's heartbreaking, so the reader is happy when he meets Miranda, who is also living her life backwards. From there on, well there's only one way it can end, isn't there? Or is there another way out? You'll have to read it and see for yourself.
This tale requires some thought from the reader, while at the same time demanding that the reader not put too much thought into certain aspects. If that sounds intriguing to you, give it a shot, you'll probably enjoy it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2014
Well, that was unexpected. This is a terrific read. Absolutely loved it, and I will read it again.
May 14, 2023
I remember the first time I heard about Miranda by John R. Little. It was a lazy day, and I was browsing the virtual horror shelves, looking for something new to read. The cover caught my eye - it’s not exactly pretty, but I like eerie images like this. I also learned that it had won the Bram Stoker Award (Long Fiction) in 2009 - I knew I had to give it a chance.
As I started reading, I found myself immediately pulled into the story. Little’s writing style is masterful, drawing you in with each sentence and never letting go. The characters are complex and well-developed. What really sets Miranda apart is its use of a stunning concept of aging backward.
“I was 65 when I died. Well, un-died would be more accurate, wouldn’t it?
I remember the heart attack shocking me to life. Then the pain disappeared, and I was here.”
The protagonist’s first memory is of his death, and he lives his life backward while everyone else experiences it in the usual direction. But it’s more than just aging. He remembers his future, but not his past. People talk forward, but he hears backward (at least initially). He can’t form lasting relationships. Think about it. He’d meet people at the end of their time together. They’d be strangers to him, but they’d know him inside and out. And by the time he would get to know them, they would wander off, not caring about him at all.
Things change when he meets Miranda, a backtracker like him. But good things can’t last. This novella (110 pages) is powerful, intellectually stimulating, and emotionally moving. Little’s clear and concise writing conveys a great deal of emotion and avoids unnecessary scenes or wordiness.
Overall, Miranda is a must-read for fans of weird fiction and stunning, poignant writing. John R. Little has crafted a haunting tale that will stick with you long after you turn the last page.
As I started reading, I found myself immediately pulled into the story. Little’s writing style is masterful, drawing you in with each sentence and never letting go. The characters are complex and well-developed. What really sets Miranda apart is its use of a stunning concept of aging backward.
“I was 65 when I died. Well, un-died would be more accurate, wouldn’t it?
I remember the heart attack shocking me to life. Then the pain disappeared, and I was here.”
The protagonist’s first memory is of his death, and he lives his life backward while everyone else experiences it in the usual direction. But it’s more than just aging. He remembers his future, but not his past. People talk forward, but he hears backward (at least initially). He can’t form lasting relationships. Think about it. He’d meet people at the end of their time together. They’d be strangers to him, but they’d know him inside and out. And by the time he would get to know them, they would wander off, not caring about him at all.
Things change when he meets Miranda, a backtracker like him. But good things can’t last. This novella (110 pages) is powerful, intellectually stimulating, and emotionally moving. Little’s clear and concise writing conveys a great deal of emotion and avoids unnecessary scenes or wordiness.
Overall, Miranda is a must-read for fans of weird fiction and stunning, poignant writing. John R. Little has crafted a haunting tale that will stick with you long after you turn the last page.
January 28, 2015
A great story beautifully written, full of emotion. Very well done. A serious accomplishment on Little's part.
May 26, 2012
John little the author I found to be large in creativity and talent from reading this novella.
Let's get a few things clear, Summer turned to spring, then to Winter.
The main protagonist becomes undead, but he's not a zombie!
The story starts with the last chapter.
Either the author is bark raving mad or he has written a creative original story here?
I will go with the latter.
The undead in this story refers to the protagonist living his life n reverse order, from death to birth. So Zombie readers sorry.
This story is a very real life and the pursuit of happiness or the so to say failed pursuit in this case at times. You are about to retrace history on how certain characters lives panned out. This novella served up some thought provoking and life history reflection of my own. It's short but achieved what many hundreds of pages of stories out there have not. He has made the reader reflect on wrongs, rights and think. The story makes us revisit horrors from the past again straight from the world news, you are taken to a shooting on a tourist spot in Egypt and back to the day of the Fall of The Twin Towers and many deaths.
When the past is relived again he does not know how the event occurred, as he has no memories and it's in reverse order. That made it interesting reading. He sees his wrong and bad mistakes in life and sees how his eating and life choices ended him to his grave.
The sad thing is he can only relive it and not change history. He meets a woman in his past Miranda but what's even more compelling for him is that she also is living in reverse as him. Her life was way more sad and she received abuses of many kinds, once a bag lady.
She ponders over a dilemma can she change her fate in the past?
Does she have the free will to change?
There is also a mans best fiend as a star of the story. Me being a lover of animals, it struck a cord of sentiments and emotions. You are taken right back from its death to when he first acquired his dog as a puppy, and I too remember those fond days of having a Labrador and a Siamese kitten. Those dark days of loss. Parting with my loved creatures as time froze, destitute, pondering sadly, towering over a veterinarians surgery table slab with a parted loved one. These loved ones are truly great blessing in life that many take for granted.
It's captivating engrossing and a poignant story.
Short and a must read. I will be reading more from this Bram Stoker winner.
Also review @ http://more2read.com/review/miranda-by-john-r-little/
Let's get a few things clear, Summer turned to spring, then to Winter.
The main protagonist becomes undead, but he's not a zombie!
The story starts with the last chapter.
Either the author is bark raving mad or he has written a creative original story here?
I will go with the latter.
The undead in this story refers to the protagonist living his life n reverse order, from death to birth. So Zombie readers sorry.
This story is a very real life and the pursuit of happiness or the so to say failed pursuit in this case at times. You are about to retrace history on how certain characters lives panned out. This novella served up some thought provoking and life history reflection of my own. It's short but achieved what many hundreds of pages of stories out there have not. He has made the reader reflect on wrongs, rights and think. The story makes us revisit horrors from the past again straight from the world news, you are taken to a shooting on a tourist spot in Egypt and back to the day of the Fall of The Twin Towers and many deaths.
When the past is relived again he does not know how the event occurred, as he has no memories and it's in reverse order. That made it interesting reading. He sees his wrong and bad mistakes in life and sees how his eating and life choices ended him to his grave.
The sad thing is he can only relive it and not change history. He meets a woman in his past Miranda but what's even more compelling for him is that she also is living in reverse as him. Her life was way more sad and she received abuses of many kinds, once a bag lady.
She ponders over a dilemma can she change her fate in the past?
Does she have the free will to change?
There is also a mans best fiend as a star of the story. Me being a lover of animals, it struck a cord of sentiments and emotions. You are taken right back from its death to when he first acquired his dog as a puppy, and I too remember those fond days of having a Labrador and a Siamese kitten. Those dark days of loss. Parting with my loved creatures as time froze, destitute, pondering sadly, towering over a veterinarians surgery table slab with a parted loved one. These loved ones are truly great blessing in life that many take for granted.
It's captivating engrossing and a poignant story.
Short and a must read. I will be reading more from this Bram Stoker winner.
"In September, the World Trade Centre grew out of a mountain of ash and dust, morphing into Americas tallest towers.
I was glued to CNN when they rose and I watched in amazement. They were sobbing. It was incredible. I knew there were taller buildings in Malaysia or somewhere in the mid- east, but these were American, our own miracles, springing up from their graves."
"Were we really just programmed to follow a particular course exactly?
A path from death to birth, laid out ahead of time in a circuitous but unchanging track?"
Also review @ http://more2read.com/review/miranda-by-john-r-little/
January 18, 2013
This is an amazing novella. No joke. It would be a shame if Miranda doesn't become a classic. A must read!
May 7, 2023
A clever, interesting theme for a novella length story, but I just didn’t find it absorbing. A tale I appreciated from a distance but one where I never felt any link, sympathetic or hostile, with the characters. A big deal for me,
As the synopsis says Michael lives his life backwards. His first awareness is coming back to life after a heart attack in a hospital at age 65. He then seems to see everything going in reverse, recovering from his aged illnesses, leaving hospital, going back to work after retiring, etc. even to the extent that eating and drinking involves regurgitating food and drink. At least he gets the tastes when said products pass through the mouth!
At some point Michael meets Miranda, a woman going through a similar inverted life story. They have a happy sexual life too, it seems, though the mechanics of this happening in reverse are not really outlined! More importantly, it isn’t clear if the emotional stages of this, or any other interactions, are reversed in their lives.
A critical part of the story, and something Miranda is particularly concerned about, is whether they have free will in this weird life they live. They have no memories of what they’re about to experience as they age backwards. Are they simply living their first normal life backwards with no change?
A clever concept for a story. But so many things worried me. Sometimes we jump five-ten years of life, in a page, with a statement that Michael mostly stayed at home, didn’t mix, had no friends and watched TV. Even there surely he has reflections on life, surely hasn’t been vegetative in that long period. Has he not tried to reason on this course of events, in those years? With one major exception they rarely try to challenge the free will question. Maybe we don’t truly have free will in conventionally lived lives but I didn’t see that regular philosophical conundrum really raised although it maybe implied.
One’s personality is heavily influenced by experience - how would that be for a person experiencing life from the initial perspective of old age, initial illness and immobility, (old people can be grumpy and bitter as a result, and pretend it’s tied in with being wise - I say that as someone older than Michael initially was!). This seems barely explored aside from Michael appreciating nature to a degree after leaving hospital.
I could go on - and on. Old people do that. I guess I’m saying I didn’t see anything interestingly human about this tale, anything about how a life lived in this unusual way could play an interesting role in one’s outlook on life. It really just seemed to be a rewinding of life’s video tape backwards.
In summary, a nice concept, clever, but I had no emotional involvement with it. An interesting reading experience all the better for being only novella length.
As the synopsis says Michael lives his life backwards. His first awareness is coming back to life after a heart attack in a hospital at age 65. He then seems to see everything going in reverse, recovering from his aged illnesses, leaving hospital, going back to work after retiring, etc. even to the extent that eating and drinking involves regurgitating food and drink. At least he gets the tastes when said products pass through the mouth!
At some point Michael meets Miranda, a woman going through a similar inverted life story. They have a happy sexual life too, it seems, though the mechanics of this happening in reverse are not really outlined! More importantly, it isn’t clear if the emotional stages of this, or any other interactions, are reversed in their lives.
A critical part of the story, and something Miranda is particularly concerned about, is whether they have free will in this weird life they live. They have no memories of what they’re about to experience as they age backwards. Are they simply living their first normal life backwards with no change?
A clever concept for a story. But so many things worried me. Sometimes we jump five-ten years of life, in a page, with a statement that Michael mostly stayed at home, didn’t mix, had no friends and watched TV. Even there surely he has reflections on life, surely hasn’t been vegetative in that long period. Has he not tried to reason on this course of events, in those years? With one major exception they rarely try to challenge the free will question. Maybe we don’t truly have free will in conventionally lived lives but I didn’t see that regular philosophical conundrum really raised although it maybe implied.
One’s personality is heavily influenced by experience - how would that be for a person experiencing life from the initial perspective of old age, initial illness and immobility, (old people can be grumpy and bitter as a result, and pretend it’s tied in with being wise - I say that as someone older than Michael initially was!). This seems barely explored aside from Michael appreciating nature to a degree after leaving hospital.
I could go on - and on. Old people do that. I guess I’m saying I didn’t see anything interestingly human about this tale, anything about how a life lived in this unusual way could play an interesting role in one’s outlook on life. It really just seemed to be a rewinding of life’s video tape backwards.
In summary, a nice concept, clever, but I had no emotional involvement with it. An interesting reading experience all the better for being only novella length.
August 14, 2013
A complex tale of age regression beautifully told.
August 20, 2013
I loved the emotions presented in this story, but the writing style just wasn't for me.
October 30, 2018
Wow. Just, wow.
5/5 stars for the idea and for the execution. That was some fine writing, right there. If I'm ever able to write like that, I'd be the happiest woman alive.
I will say nothing about this story because I picked it up knowing nothing (I didn't even read the blurb) and I was awestruck. It's under 100 pages and I would encourage anyone to read this one. It's worth it.
I read it because of a recommendation and I thought "What the hell, it's a short story and it might make my evening better". Little did I know that I chose to read something so unique and fresh and, yeah I'll say it again, such a well writen story based on that awesome idea.
5/5 stars for the idea and for the execution. That was some fine writing, right there. If I'm ever able to write like that, I'd be the happiest woman alive.
I will say nothing about this story because I picked it up knowing nothing (I didn't even read the blurb) and I was awestruck. It's under 100 pages and I would encourage anyone to read this one. It's worth it.
I read it because of a recommendation and I thought "What the hell, it's a short story and it might make my evening better". Little did I know that I chose to read something so unique and fresh and, yeah I'll say it again, such a well writen story based on that awesome idea.
September 27, 2018
I WISH MIRANDA NEVER LEFT ME.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2013
I am not at all surprised that John R Little won a Bram Stoker award for Miranda.
This could have just been another ‘Man Aging Backwards’ story but this is nothing like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
In Miranda, the main character literally ages backwards – he hears words backwards, he walks backwards, he drives his car backwards etc, etc. The amazing thing about this story is that Little makes a ridiculous concept seem entirely plausible. Admittedly, there are parts of this story that you can’t let yourself think too hard about or else it will do your head in. However, if you can let yourself go along with it, Miranda is a beautiful story that explores the ideas of fate and freewill, what it is like to experience true loneliness and the joy of finding your soulmate.
This could have just been another ‘Man Aging Backwards’ story but this is nothing like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
In Miranda, the main character literally ages backwards – he hears words backwards, he walks backwards, he drives his car backwards etc, etc. The amazing thing about this story is that Little makes a ridiculous concept seem entirely plausible. Admittedly, there are parts of this story that you can’t let yourself think too hard about or else it will do your head in. However, if you can let yourself go along with it, Miranda is a beautiful story that explores the ideas of fate and freewill, what it is like to experience true loneliness and the joy of finding your soulmate.
November 17, 2017
In 'Miranda', the opening chapter kicks off with the main character Michael lying on a hospital bed, close to death. However, he soon realizes that he ages backwards. As years go by, he feels lonely until he meets Miranda - a woman who's living her life backwards too. The path to happiness is finally in sight but will Michael be able to reach it?
The concept was undeniably interesting but the execution was disappointing. The writing lacked detail and was repetitive. The author constantly described how Michael's actions were backwards; that was unnecessary. Besides that, Michael was incredibly boring. For someone who had the experience of "undying", he strangely had no personality or any urge to try altering his past. To make things worse, nothing eventful ever happened throughout the story.
The addition of Miranda was a refreshing welcome. I liked that she wanted to find out whether she could do things differently to change her past. Unfortunately, the romance aspect overshadowed her idea. It didn't help that their relationship was unconvincing. There were no scenes showing their connection or communication. The entire prose itself failed to convey any emotions hence it was hard for me to care about either character's fate.
Overall, 'Miranda' was a quick and forgettable read. It didn't live up to its great premise as the concept of aging backwards wasn't fully delved into.
The concept was undeniably interesting but the execution was disappointing. The writing lacked detail and was repetitive. The author constantly described how Michael's actions were backwards; that was unnecessary. Besides that, Michael was incredibly boring. For someone who had the experience of "undying", he strangely had no personality or any urge to try altering his past. To make things worse, nothing eventful ever happened throughout the story.
The addition of Miranda was a refreshing welcome. I liked that she wanted to find out whether she could do things differently to change her past. Unfortunately, the romance aspect overshadowed her idea. It didn't help that their relationship was unconvincing. There were no scenes showing their connection or communication. The entire prose itself failed to convey any emotions hence it was hard for me to care about either character's fate.
Overall, 'Miranda' was a quick and forgettable read. It didn't live up to its great premise as the concept of aging backwards wasn't fully delved into.
May 13, 2019
Wasn't sure how this living-life-in-reverse story was going to work, but it was very moving. I initially subtracted a star because trying to make sense of some of the reverse-time elements were making my brain hurt, but I added the star back just for Doof the wiener-dog. :)
September 24, 2018
Short and sweet, weird and wonderful.
April 13, 2023
interesting idea for a story but it also felt lacking ALOT...but i also wouldnt want it to be any longer LOL maybe just not for me. i will say the writing at times was heartbreaking and beautiful.
September 27, 2012
Write a story about a man who ages backwards and you're instantly going to provoke comparisons to F. Scott Fitzgerald's Benjamin Button. However, John R. Little's Miranda takes the premise and goes one better, by having the protagonist quite literally age backwards, essentially living his entire life in reverse, as if God hit the "Rewind" button.
The only thing that doesn't run backwards is the man's consciousness, which gradually adjusts to living each day from end to beginning. And as a reader, it's a bit disorienting too, with dialogue written backwards while our protagonist, Michael Johnson, narrates the story to us. He starts out as an invalid, which in a way for him makes his a newborn, grasping at language and the flow of time until he grasps what is happening. And it's not like he can plead his case to anyone, since he's going back in time and his experiences are playing out as if going forward. Confused? I wouldn't blame you.
While the story is really interesting, exploring free will, fate, identity, and loneliness, the story gets overshadowed a lot of the time by its style. Oh, there's plenty of meat on the bone, but because the aging-backward premise is adhered to in such a literal fashion, it distracted me at times when my focus should have been more on Michael's relationships which come few and far between in the story.
The real heart of the story comes from the title character, Miranda, a woman Michael meets. What makes Miranda so special is the fact that she too is living life in reverse. Neither has no memory of their other when they first meet--which is actually the last time they ever see each other from anyone else's point of view--and they hit it off immediately, relieved to finally find someone who recognizes what the other is going through. From there, their relationship grows in a wonderful balance of experiencing new things and simultaneously reliving things that may very well have happened before.
Throw in Doof the wiener dog, Michael's canine companion through much of the story, and I was pretty much hooked. It's that easy for me--throw in a dog and I'll let go of most of whatever hangups I might have with the story and how it's told. Seeing life with a dog played out in reverse was possibly even more intriguing than the love story between Michael and Miranda, as Michael wanders into a vet's office one day for a reason that escapes him until he sees a dead dog on a table that springs to life, albeit sick and old. Michael, in a weird way, nurses it back to health, though Doof is basically just getting younger as days roll backwards. The kinship formed with Doof, and indestructible love for Miranda, are wondrously told and by the end the poignancy of it all really shines.
A bit aggravating at moments, Miranda is likely to be a bit of a chore for readers looking for something more conventional, but it's a story worth reading and if you can stick it out to the end--or is it the beginning?--you'll likely walk away quite satisfied and impressed by John R. Little's writing.
The only thing that doesn't run backwards is the man's consciousness, which gradually adjusts to living each day from end to beginning. And as a reader, it's a bit disorienting too, with dialogue written backwards while our protagonist, Michael Johnson, narrates the story to us. He starts out as an invalid, which in a way for him makes his a newborn, grasping at language and the flow of time until he grasps what is happening. And it's not like he can plead his case to anyone, since he's going back in time and his experiences are playing out as if going forward. Confused? I wouldn't blame you.
While the story is really interesting, exploring free will, fate, identity, and loneliness, the story gets overshadowed a lot of the time by its style. Oh, there's plenty of meat on the bone, but because the aging-backward premise is adhered to in such a literal fashion, it distracted me at times when my focus should have been more on Michael's relationships which come few and far between in the story.
The real heart of the story comes from the title character, Miranda, a woman Michael meets. What makes Miranda so special is the fact that she too is living life in reverse. Neither has no memory of their other when they first meet--which is actually the last time they ever see each other from anyone else's point of view--and they hit it off immediately, relieved to finally find someone who recognizes what the other is going through. From there, their relationship grows in a wonderful balance of experiencing new things and simultaneously reliving things that may very well have happened before.
Throw in Doof the wiener dog, Michael's canine companion through much of the story, and I was pretty much hooked. It's that easy for me--throw in a dog and I'll let go of most of whatever hangups I might have with the story and how it's told. Seeing life with a dog played out in reverse was possibly even more intriguing than the love story between Michael and Miranda, as Michael wanders into a vet's office one day for a reason that escapes him until he sees a dead dog on a table that springs to life, albeit sick and old. Michael, in a weird way, nurses it back to health, though Doof is basically just getting younger as days roll backwards. The kinship formed with Doof, and indestructible love for Miranda, are wondrously told and by the end the poignancy of it all really shines.
A bit aggravating at moments, Miranda is likely to be a bit of a chore for readers looking for something more conventional, but it's a story worth reading and if you can stick it out to the end--or is it the beginning?--you'll likely walk away quite satisfied and impressed by John R. Little's writing.
February 19, 2012
This one starts with chapter 15.
Yeah. Just ponder that.
The main character starts life with a shot from the paddles and works his way back from there. He has to learn English backwards. Diminishment of a case of Alzheimer's is his awakening. Freak-o-matic stuff, this.
The subtleties of life as we know them all thrown into reverse, such as chewing food back whole. Starting out your night with a glow on and drinking yourself back straight.
How about watching your favorite canine friend come back and grow young with you?
Meeting a soul mate for the last time...the first time...and realizing she is a backslider just like you. But while you have gone down the path of least resistence and lived your life well, she questions free-will every step of the way. How does that work out?
John has written a story here that is concise yet explores both—the characters and the concept presented—very well. A life lived in either direction begins and ends with nothing but a thought. And what gets stuffed in between is the life that is lived. Time is ticking in either direction and the most memorable ingredient is probably going to be love.
Thanks for this one, John. To everyone else: read this.
Yeah. Just ponder that.
The main character starts life with a shot from the paddles and works his way back from there. He has to learn English backwards. Diminishment of a case of Alzheimer's is his awakening. Freak-o-matic stuff, this.
The subtleties of life as we know them all thrown into reverse, such as chewing food back whole. Starting out your night with a glow on and drinking yourself back straight.
How about watching your favorite canine friend come back and grow young with you?
Meeting a soul mate for the last time...the first time...and realizing she is a backslider just like you. But while you have gone down the path of least resistence and lived your life well, she questions free-will every step of the way. How does that work out?
John has written a story here that is concise yet explores both—the characters and the concept presented—very well. A life lived in either direction begins and ends with nothing but a thought. And what gets stuffed in between is the life that is lived. Time is ticking in either direction and the most memorable ingredient is probably going to be love.
Thanks for this one, John. To everyone else: read this.
August 28, 2010
With age regression being the plot device du jour in film these days (just consider the Oscar buzz surrounding The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), timing is everything. And for John R. Little’s brilliant new novella, Miranda, the timing couldn’t be better.
Michael Johnson awakens to a shock one day — the electric jolt of defibrillator paddles bringing him back to life at age 65. He quickly learns that he’s living his life in reverse, swimming against the tide of time. He gets younger, not older. He meets his beloved dog at the time of its death, watches it revive and grow younger and healthier. He begins his career at retirement and works backwards through the years. But there’s a catch: everything and everyone else is moving forward. It’s a lonely existence, heartbreaking as he becomes a stranger to those he starts out knowing intimately.
Read the rest of the review here.
Michael Johnson awakens to a shock one day — the electric jolt of defibrillator paddles bringing him back to life at age 65. He quickly learns that he’s living his life in reverse, swimming against the tide of time. He gets younger, not older. He meets his beloved dog at the time of its death, watches it revive and grow younger and healthier. He begins his career at retirement and works backwards through the years. But there’s a catch: everything and everyone else is moving forward. It’s a lonely existence, heartbreaking as he becomes a stranger to those he starts out knowing intimately.
Read the rest of the review here.
April 12, 2013
WOW......really, WOW. That was great. My only, and I do mean only, problem with this book was that it ended. It was so good, I could have read it all night.
This is the story of Michael who begins his life at his death. Sort of along the lines of Benjamin Buttons, except Michael's life is completely normal....but in reverse. He is "born" in a hospital bed having just had a heart attack. He spends his first six months of life (to everyone else it was his last six months) learning to understand what people were saying and how to speak himself, as everything was said backwards. It goes on from there to tell the story of his life.
I cannot say enough good things about this book. It really was fantastic!!
This is the story of Michael who begins his life at his death. Sort of along the lines of Benjamin Buttons, except Michael's life is completely normal....but in reverse. He is "born" in a hospital bed having just had a heart attack. He spends his first six months of life (to everyone else it was his last six months) learning to understand what people were saying and how to speak himself, as everything was said backwards. It goes on from there to tell the story of his life.
I cannot say enough good things about this book. It really was fantastic!!
May 17, 2015
This was haunting in a way I hadn't been expecting. There's something so tragic about living life backwards, and a lot of implications that one doesn't really think of but seem so very obvious when they're addressed here.
February 10, 2010
Wow, very different. Reminded me of the style of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in a way.
December 6, 2011
.derob saw I, 21 retpahC dnuora ffo erow ytlevon eht ecnO.
December 31, 2014
I read through this in about four hours at work tonight. It was a great novel that really sucked me in and was hard to put down. Very original concept and a great story.
December 29, 2014
Interesting concept but I did not enjoy the styling. Just could have been so much better (in my opinion.)
May 14, 2023
Predivna priča, dirljiva, onako ostaneš pravo zamišljen nakon što ju pročitaš. Komotno ju mogu staviti u krug sa Silverbergovom Plovidba za Byzant ili Cvijeće za Algeernoona.
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