Science Fiction
Yesterday again is one of those books where the time-travel hook is doing a lot of work, but not in a flashy way. What stayed with me was how quickly Kyle’s assumptions get knocked sideways. He goes in convinced he knows who the villain is, and the book is much more interested in watching that certainty wobble than in showing off the mechanics.
That usually works better for me than a clever premise alone. If the ending doesn’t land, the whole thing feels like a tidy science fiction puzzle with no bite. This one at least earns its final stretch.
That usually works better for me than a clever premise alone. If the ending doesn’t land, the whole thing feels like a tidy science fiction puzzle with no bite. This one at least earns its final stretch.
Kyle’s certainty is probably the point, and that’s what makes it work for me. The time-travel bit is less interesting than the fact that he’s so committed to being right. That kind of stubbornness is very twelve-year-old, annoyingly so.
It’s a good fit if you like sci-fi that behaves more like a character problem than a gadget problem.
It’s a good fit if you like sci-fi that behaves more like a character problem than a gadget problem.