Under Story by Chloe Benjamin review
A grieving couple who have lost their son find a way to a mirror universe where time runs backwards – but the narrative machinery is shonky and distracting
TL;DR
- The novel 'Under Story' by Chloe Benjamin features a 'duoverse' where ordinary human life begins underground and time is reversed, with bodies growing younger and minds aging.
- The core plot involves a couple, Laurel and Eli, entering this reverse-time universe through a portal in Antarctica to retrieve their deceased son.
- The author's explanation of the reverse universe relies on speculative physics and concepts like reversed entropy, but the narrative mechanics are described as 'shonky' and distracting.
- Unlike previous novels that explored reverse time effectively, 'Under Story' is criticized for its length and the author's selective application of reverse-time logic, particularly in the life cycle.
- The novel's attempt to weaponize parental grief through its elaborate, reverse-engineered plot is seen as gruesome and failing to evoke genuine emotion or profound questions about free will and love.