As an author it causes me simultaneous delight and pain to read a book like The Five Times I Met Myself. Delight because it’s such a good book. Pain because James Rubart is my competition in this industry and he’s taking all of the oxygen out of the room with amazingly good books.
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Tremendous read!
I started this book and finished it in under 24 hours. I managed to cram 14 hours of work in there somewhere. Yes, he kept me up late reading this one. How? Incredible skill in setting the scene. Authentic dialogue. A solid foundation of mystery. Most of all, creating a vision that caused me to question my own life.
I won’t chuck any spoilers into this review. But if you’ve ever had a moment to question your motives and behavior (we all have) you need to read this book. If you’ve ever wished you could go back and warn your younger self about the pitfalls of life and how to avoid them, you should turn the pages.
Most of all, if you want to live in God’s Kingdom at the end of your days, this book will help nudge you in the right direction.
Rubart, as always, delights in the details. This book is set in the Seattle area. I have never been to Seattle, but in my other life I spend hundreds of hours each year analyzing maps of the area. I felt like I was sitting next to the characters as they moved through the book.
Unlike a number of other books that explore the question of realities and, for lack of a better term, time travel, Rubart manages to approach it in a respectful manner. Things are dealt with as an adult would view them, rather than in the comic book fashion some writers employ. You will find yourself reading closely to see if something can be spotted that gives a clue to the next developments.
Always a wordsmith, Mr. Rubart has a writing style that flows smoothly from page to page. There is a nice tone to what happens, even when it’s horrible. I’m probably not explaining that very well, but the writing is so good that you forget you’re reading a book: it’s like watching a movie in your head.
What I liked most in this work was that it wasn’t part of a series. Rubart has written some wonderful books in his last series, and he escaped the chains of starting another one. As I’m in the midst of a trilogy myself, I can see where you would want to do it again. But he avoids that, bringing us a lovely, self-contained work that satisfies and nourishes the soul. Just as I expected when I picked up the book. Yes, I am a fan.
I just purchased James Rubart’s next book. I know it will be as good as this one. My future self told me so.
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