Timeslip. Romance. Thriller.
Combine these three and you have French novelist Guillaume Musso’s novel, “Next.” Musso is my recent discovery and new favorite I found on the shelves of Davis Library. He mesmerizes you with a gripping plot and unconventional twist to what could come off as a cliche cinderella story.
Matthew Shapiro, a young philosophy professor, can pull off a three-day beard, faded-jeans and beaten-up leather boots, and still manage to maintain an air of professionalism as he teaches Nietzsche and Plato in the Harvard lecture halls. His life crumbles miserably when his wife Kate, a glamorous doctor with a promising career, dies in a car crash. Just when he is about to compromise, he gets hold of an old Macbook that connects him to the previous owner, Emma Lovestein, who somehow still lives in the past — exactly a year from his time. Emma, a wine spectator in New York, becomes Matthew’s only hope of saving Kate from the car accident and have his happy ending.
Really, I would love to continue and rave about the novel, but I can’t spoil it anymore. All I can say is that the story throws surprises at your face without missing once. Think guns and fake police IDs.
Apart from all the delightful suspense, the novel really touches upon the folly of human desires. We always think about going back in time and mending stupid mistakes — like that first time you plucked your eyebrows when you were fifteen. Matthew and Emily demonstrate that the luxury of timeslip doesn’t really sit well with the world we live in. Reality stings but we need to learn to deal with it. Sometimes, the what-if situations may not have that happy ending we always imagine.
Although I’m really fond of Musso’s novel, I must say that he should have invested in character development. All the characters in “Next” are very attractive and each have compelling stories of his or her own. It’s a shame that he doesn’t share much of their story. He gives hints here and there, but that only rouses curiosity that can’t be quenched. Nevertheless, the novel is definitely an entertaining quick read.
It's translated and sold in 17 different languages. Need I say more?
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