Review: You Again by Debra Jo Immergut

You Again by Debra Jo Immergut
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  I did however listen to the final version of the audiobook.  All opinions are my own.

This is marketed as general and literary fiction but it definitely has a thriller vibe to it.  I do think the premise of this book is really interesting, and you aren't really sure if what is happening is real  or if a sci-fi event taking place or if the main character is having some sort of mid-life crisis.  That is where the thriller feeling comes from, you aren't sure if what what is happening between Abby and the mysterious appearances of "A" are really happening or if it is all in her head.  Pairing these sightings of her younger self aka A, with her son getting in trouble and joining an anti-fascist group, her marriage falling apart, and other things in her life spiraling out of control.  Abby continues to see her younger self and tries to warn her of events of the past so A can make different decisions, in turn A prods her to look at herself and asks if she is still making the art she once loved and examine her own happiness.  Both versions are forces to reflect on what is going on in their lives and Abby reflects on things in her past.

As a reflection of life in general and the decisions we make, the sacrifices we make and the things we may give up as we get older I think this hits the mark pretty well.  We all grow distant from friends and relationships evolve as we get older and may give up hobbies we were once passionate about because life gets in the way due to work or growing families.  Like Abby not everyone ends up as the brilliant, successful painter (or whatever your dream career is/was) because they need a steady income to pay the bills but hopefully we can work the things we are passionate into our lives to find fulfillment.  

Overall, I didn't like the disjointed nature of the book.  It is told mainly from Abby's perspective, but also has some mixed media entries from a physicist, the therapist she sees, and the neurologist Abby ends up seeing toward the end of the book.  The timeline is kind of all over the place which I found confusing.  Perhaps had I read the print book versus listening to the audiobook I would have been able to reference the dates associated with the entries and would have been able to keep the timeline straight.  Personally I'm not a fan of non-linear timelines, especially with so many perspectives.  I found it confusing and hard follow at times which took away from my enjoyment of the book.  

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