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for me, it had me fascinated from the third page, then almost shoved me out into another breakdown and had me so so stressed the whole time just to pull me back at the last minute, and at the end i’m still confused. From the internationally bestselling author of The Atlas Six, Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake is a glimpse into the nature of love, what it means to be unwell, and how to face the fractures of yourself and still love as if you're not broken.
the writing style felt pretentious to me at first; how dialogues switch from being in first person i to being in third person she or him. the book has six parts, and each part had it’s own voice and pacing that distinguished itself from the rest. There is a musicality to it, but it is like every instrument in a band trying to all take a solo at once in the cacophony of feeling so much you aren’t sure if you can contain it.I wish all the metaphors from the first half could’ve actually meant something in the end, spoiler alert! I understand this is the point of it all, but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy the ride, nor does it negate how often I see people praising this as one of the most romantic books they’ve read. The premise is rather cute with Aldo and Regan agreeing to have six conversations to see what they learn about each other, something right in Aldo’s wheelhouse as ‘ for Aldo, to love something was to study it; to devote every spare thought to understanding it. Their looks, fears and flaws become just as ornamental as the time and art theories of their conversations that point like maps to their underlying feelings, and I find it a rather beautifully bittersweet theme to place art and science together as a romantic couple hoping their union is an eternal, cosmic force that can even bend time to its will.
At many points, Regan is truly manic (not in the funny personality sense but as in DSM criteria mania sense), makes questionable personal decisions, commits a criminal act (this is never really addressed) and shapes her world entirely around Aldo and how him being a genius and wanting her somehow elevated her personal value. but this one is different, it’s not for anyone else just because i don’t know how to describe this book for anyone else. This was so beautiful, so heart-wrenching, and not to sound corny on main but I feel like a new person after reading this perfection. as unlikely as it sounds given the negatives i just listed, there are some true moments of beauty in this. The way they love each other, the way they know each other ahhsjajajjak I am utterly, wholly, completely ruined by this book and aldoregan.
i know this might sound awfully selfish, but if i could, i would keep this book to myself forever and ever and never let anyone approach it. uk will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing. I wasn't able to connect at all for the better part of the first two chapters and then they went to the church and to say I ascended during that scene would be an understatement. I can kind of see why some people love and praise this book so much, but for me personally, it was a huge miss. Gallery images of our book boxes show an example of what may be included – treat and gift content may differ.
how the characters were viewed in an omniscient way; all their cracks and flaws laid out for us to comprehend. the moment i read the last paragraph of this book, i thought ah, i would never find a book like this. It is certainly a literary work, and all the heady topics of time theory and reflections and analysis of art are handled in accessible yet ponderous ways that are folded productively into the larger themes of the book. Olivie Blake—a pen name of chosen through a name generator—began her career writing fan fiction and self-publishing novels until going viral on social media landed her a book deal with Tor and the recognition she certainly deserves.is this a metaphor for something or a truly disturbing intrusive thought of someone who IS NOT WELL! Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake is a glimpse into the nature of love, and how to face the fractures of yourself. i like that sometimes people read and understand my opinion on something, or at least get a laugh out of it. It does touch close to the romanticization of mental health struggles being a gateway to good art, which is a troubling perspective, though that doesn’t seem the intent. Olivie lives in Los Angeles with her husband and new baby, where she is generally tolerated by her rescue pit bull.
Perhaps the easiest to love character is Masso, Aldo’s charming, well-meaning father—a sharp juxtaposition from Regan’s mother who we see as highly judgemental through Regan’s perceptions—though even he warns Aldo that Regan is the type to burn someone up. She doesn’t know what to deal with first, the use of ‘love’ or the fact that it isn’t what she was expecting, or the idea that anyone can possibly think fondly of her brain when she has put almost no effort into molding it. i know it says a love story on the front, but this book is very much about mental health + choosing to not be medicated for mental health conditions. Alone with You in the Ether explores what it means to be unwell, and how to face the fractures of yourself and still love as if you're not broken.Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake is a literary, intimate study of time, space - and a love story like no other. Aldo on the other hand, looks straight into the present, or the future, almost always lost in quantum matters.
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