Look, In Universes did maybe confuse me a little? But I also enjoyed it quite a bit. In it, we meet Raffi, in multiple universes. Hence the title, right? Anyway. The whole book is slices of Raffi's life in parallel worlds, and some of them are more like our world, and some are not, and I feel like that is really it. It's a quieter book obviously, and very character driven, but it is also really entertaining to see the differences in Raffi (and others- plenty of folks in Raffi's "first" world appear throughout) and the worlds in general. A few of them flummoxed me a bit, but it was still fun, plus I got to use the word "flummoxed" in my review, so everyone wins. And, it makes you think about who you might be in other worlds, which I always find to be a good time.

Bottom Line: Quirky but enjoyable, I loved getting to see different versions of Raffi, and of the world.

"In Universes" by Emet North offers an enthralling journey through a kaleidoscope of parallel worlds, each unveiling a unique exploration of trauma, grief, and the intricate process of healing. Through the eyes of protagonist Raffi, North masterfully delves into the depths of the psyche, weaving a tapestry of love, despair, and the quest for belonging.

What captivates from the outset is North's engaging and imaginative prose, which skillfully navigates the complexities of Raffi's existence across myriad universes. Despite the ever-shifting landscapes and divergent realities, Raffi remains a constant amidst the chaos, anchoring the narrative with their unyielding presence.

The novel's strength lies in its multifaceted storytelling, where each chapter unfolds a new universe where Raffi grapples with familiar themes, from the loss of a childhood friend's horse to the intricacies of queer relationships. Whether navigating apocalyptic landscapes teeming with alien-inhabited animals or cities steeped in regret, Raffi's journey as a physicist studying alternate realities serves as a compelling thread connecting the diverse narratives.

What sets "In Universes" apart is its exploration of characters who transcend the boundaries of time and space, evolving with each new iteration of reality. While the majority of characters are rendered with depth and nuance, there are instances where certain portrayals could have been more finely drawn. Nevertheless, the novel's ability to seamlessly navigate themes of gender and identity without overshadowing the central narrative is commendable.

Every so often I come across a book I adore so much that wish I wrote it. Emet North’s In Universes is one such book.

Raffi is a cosmologist studying dark matter who becomes increasingly fascinated by the concept of the multiverse—the idea that every possible version of reality exists simultaneously. If this is true, then Raffi can find the universe where she did not betray her childhood friend (who might have been more than a friend). While Raffi searches for this reality, we readers are taken on a ride through strange parallel worlds, each exploring new ways of coming to terms with our loves, our losses, and ourselves.

I’ve long been captivated by the multiverse theory and have read several novels focused on it, all of which paled in comparison to In Universes. North imagines a multiverse that adheres to its own logic, fully committing to teasing out its implications, and does not shy away from asking why exactly the concept is so attractive.

North’s exceptional storytelling skill immerses us in a world where every situation you can imagine is not only possible, but actual: Mothers who turn into a horde of animals when they give birth to a daughter. A woodworker who crafts corpses into furniture. Sandcastles large enough to live in. I could never anticipate what shape the next chapter would take, but trusted that it would something memorable.

From the outset, I was enthralled not only by the novel’s kaleidoscopic structure, but also by the tenderness with which North depicts the confusion of Raffi’s early queer inclinations and their adult desire to escape from grief and regret. Admittedly, Raffi and I share similar reasons for being fascinated by the multiverse theory, and I was brought to tears more than once. (Okay, at one point it was ugly sobbing.)

My main critique is of the ending, which I found slightly disappointing. It was a beautiful ending, no doubt, but it came just a tad too close to a message of feel-good “toxic” positivity. To be clear, I never felt North was shoving such a message down my throat; rather, it was a simple matter of personal taste that let me down a little.

Long review short: In Universes may well be my favorite book of the year, and I am stoked to follow North’s writing career!

Emet North’s debut novel, In Universes, is unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s challenging, beautiful, and the very best kind of strange. Each chapter is just a glimpse into Raffi’s life in one of an unlimited number of possible universes. On their own, the chapters could be short stories—all entertaining for different reasons—but together, they weave a tale of grief, love, heartbreak, and the search for self. 



Anything is possible when we’re talking about infinity, so some of Raffi’s lives take place in fairly recognizable universes much like our own, while others take place in universes in which aliens inhabit animal bodies and attack humans, or, in my favorite (because it was both entertaining and absolutely brilliant), mothers fracture into hordes of animals when they give birth to daughters. What the universes all have in common though, is that they all fall within timelines in which Raffi connects with Britt, Kay, Graham, or Alice, and each of Raffi’s lives is unique in a perfect way that doesn’t make them unrecognizable as the same person. Raffi's shifting and changing relationships with these recurring characters were fascinating, especially the one they had with Britt, who is always important no matter the universe.



Raffi is a remarkable character. They truly read as if they are a real person. They have fully fleshed out hopes, dreams, flaws, and plenty of endearing qualities. It’s easy to relate to and love a character as genuine and realistic as Raffi. Their friends and lovers were also great people. I wanted to choose a favorite to mention here but I couldn’t do it. Too hard. It might be Graham though.



Often, when I (and many people, I imagine) read a book, I insert myself into it. What would I do if I was the main character? What would I say if I was the side character? I did do that sometimes while reading In Universes, but more often, I inserted the concept of the book into my life instead. I’ve lost so much sleep the past couple nights, lying awake thinking about the points at which my life could have split into different universes and what those universes might be like. Or thinking about the universe in which I never met someone I love, or I did, but I love them in a different way, or they are merely an acquaintance. Or, hey, what kind of animal horde my mother would have fractured into when I was born (polar bear).



When I wasn’t losing sleep over In Universes, it was affecting my dreams. I won’t go into detail because reading other people’s dreams is kind of boring and that’s not what this is anyway, but my dreams have been incredibly weird and 100% influenced by this book. I loved In Universes while I was reading it, and I love it even more because it had such a strong hold over both my dreams and waking thoughts.



If you’re looking for something thought-provoking that will take you on a multifaceted journey, this is it. This is the book.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins, from whom I received this ARC. It was a pleasure to read and review In Universes!

DNF at 40%, during the second chapter in a row that's really painful to read for me personally. Too personal to go into in a public review, too.

This has been a melancholy read throughout the part that I did read - I have been longing for some sunshine in the story the entire time. Not sure if the main character has anything positive it's hoping for. I get the feeling that the absence of hope is driving the protagonist's thoughts.

Some novels center around a person who hasn't been through an extraordinary tragedy but is experiencing a crisis of meaning. Arguably, it's happening precisely because they have been fortunate enough to spend most of their life in the high-level section of the Maslow hierarchy of needs, away from concerns for their survival. The character ends up sounding like they think they've been dealt the world's worst hand when that clearly isn't the case. There are readers who enjoy reading that genre, maybe because it makes them feel seen. But I'm not part of that target audience.

<B>The Publisher Says</B>: Raffi works in an observational cosmology lab, searching for dark matter and trying to hide how little they understand their own research. Every chance they get, they escape to see Britt, a queer sculptor who fascinates them for reasons they also don’t—or won’t—understand. As Raffi’s carefully constructed life begins to collapse, they become increasingly fixated on the multiverse and the idea that somewhere, there might be a universe where they mean as much to Britt as she does to them…and just like that, Raffi and Britt are thirteen years old, best friends and maybe something more.

<I>In Universes</I> is a mind-bending tour across parallel worlds, each an answer to the question of what life would be like if events had played out just a little differently. The universes grow increasingly strange: women fracture into hordes of animals, alien-infested bears prowl apocalyptic landscapes. But across them all, Raffi—alongside their sometimes-friends, sometimes-lovers Britt, Kay, and Graham—reaches for a life that feels authentically their own.

Blending realism with science fiction, <I>In Universes</I> explores the thirst for genius, the fluidity of gender and identity, and the pull of the past against the desire to lead a meaningful life. Part Ted Chiang, part Carmen Maria Machado, part <I:Everything Everywhere All At Once</I>, <I>In Universes</I> insists on the transgressive power of hope even in the darkest of times.

<B>I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review</B>: A blast of a read, in all the usual meanings of that word: Loud, trumpet-like; maximally fun; shattering and sudden; destructive.

Emotionally shattering because there is a great deal of grief and grieving inherent in exploration of self in relation to others, among other reasons. Raffi is protean, contains multitudes, and will not be nailed down to one meager choice when the entire multiverse is spread before them. A more adventurous take, then, on the idea of Everything Everywhere All At Once as it includes greater intentionality. Destruction, demolition blasts are very much here; Raffi, in some universes, rivals Kali as a destroyer of worlds, for self as well as, particularly, for others. There is no relationship in this story that is not utterly destroyed. They just don't get destroyed at the same time, by the same person, method, or for the same reasons. As you read along, wondering where the HELL Emet is taking you, you'll be suddenly shattered by the complete inversion of your expectations multiple times.

The fun of this read, and it is indeed fun to read, is the take-no-prisoners verve with which the story's told. Leave your pearls at home when you embark on this trip. Like Henry Miller, Emet North has no time for, interest in, or fear of you pearl-clutching linear, polite, unadventurous souls. Getting down into the baseness, the base, the bases of reality is the project and that simply cannot be done with clean white cotton gloves turning the pages.

I will say that, as a resolutely gay male, I was somewhat battered by the sheer preponderance of vaginas. I still read it; look at those four stars. That's a loud statement of my level of investment. A boon to me, in this overwhelmed-by-labia state, came from the fact that this is not a Beckett or Joyce-flavored excursion into vaggieland. Back to the Henry Miller comparison: The point of view doesn't really change, just the angle of the sightline...no one's holding your head in place like Joyce or Beckett both of whom want you all the way down until you have no air and start to gag on the overload. Miller's eternally shuffling around, foul fair foul fair all the same sight but never still long enough to be sure exactly what sight that is; this is closest to Emet North's method of shaking the kaleidoscope to fracture the multiverse as well.

What you should know is, this read doesn't want you to love it, like a shirley temple. This read wants you to live in it, to get into its unmarked white delivery van, to be fully present as you're shaken (and stirred) before being poured out in a thin stream of pungent, colorless, powerfully mixed sophistication. If that sounds unappealing, horseman, pass by. If you're in the mood to be renewed or renovated after some pleasant undemaning reads, this story will give you more than you expected.

This raving ramble accompanies four, not five, stars because the entire edifice is built on a largely ignored foundation of cosmology. I think, if one's calling something science fiction, and making the protagonist a cosmologist, that should figure in the story fairly prominently. I think my pleasure in the read also took a hit because there was often so little of a narrative strand to follow...this makes the setting down of the book very, very easy, and can make the picking up of it less so.

I recommend it to those weary of predictable plods. I recommend it to QUILTBAG readers. I do, above all, recommend it.

Such a gorgeous book! Big fan of the structure and the way it fans out into many possibilities. Beautifully written, clever and thoughtful.

“In Universes” offered a distinctive and thought-provoking journey through multiple scenarios exploring the question, "What would have happened if...?"

"In Universes" centers on Raffi, a queer PhD student at an observational Cosmology Lab, who is focused on unraveling the mysteries of Dark Matter and its impact on daily life. Raffi's quest leads them to contemplate the Multiverse, imagining alternate realities where they might be living a different destiny.

The narrative takes us through numerous possibilities and parallel worlds, where Raffi revisits pivotal moments from their youth and beyond. Starting from early childhood, through the age of thirteen, and into significant life events, each universe explored becomes increasingly bizarre. We encounter worlds where animals are infected by aliens, women transform into animal hordes, and ghosts communicate from beneath house basements.

While this novel stretched beyond my typical comfort zone, I appreciated its underlying message. "In Universes" underscores how our past influences our present and future. I applaud and support stories that feature a queer protagonist and delve into the complex terrain of gender identity.

I would recommend this book to admirers of Ted Chiang and enthusiasts of the film “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.” Special thanks to NetGalley, Harper, and Emet North for providing an ARC in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. Look for "In Universes" available April 30th, 2024!

I knew from the first page that I would like this book, but I knew from the second chapter that I would LOVE it. Nothing made sense and yet I feel like I understood everything. In fact, I think the book understood me most of all.

The writing here is stunning, with several lines worthy of underlining for further reflection in each chapter. I loved every character, and I’m in awe of North’s ability to fully flesh out these people and worlds in so few words.

This book is magic and heartbreak and I wanted to stop reading so many times because I was getting too emotional, but my traitor eyes kept me glued to the screen.

Beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

This was not what I was expecting, but still a fun and enjoyable adventure. This was certainly a unique story and the characters added a fun layer to this book,. This was quick and easy read. Will recommend.

I think this is my favorite book I’ve ever read. BEAUTIFULLY written, and such a cool and unique story, absolutely loved that each chapter was sort of like its own short story, but when put together, they flow as one piece. I will read anything this author writes from now on.

A deep and moving multiverse story that left me fulfilled. This was a book where I truly did not know what was going to happen next, and I loved how one story bled into another, taking minor elements from the previous and spinning them in new ways. This book felt like a painting that you find something new in every time you look at it. It felt a bit too surreal at some points, and the prose itself was a bit confusing, but overall I enjoyed the ride.

Lovely, unique, and so tender, I really enjoyed this one. I have to admit, I know next to nothing about physics and other worlds, the science and wonder played with here, but it didn´t detract at all from my pleasure in reading this original and compelling debut. It´s a tough book to summarize without spoiling, but I think the longing here, the guilt and the obsession, the questions we ask ourselves and the ways our memory protects and betrays us, it hits deeper than any specific plot summary. I´m impressed by the way this book approaches queerness, and especially community and community care, what we ask and provide for one another, what it might look like in a life different but eerily similar to our own. I feel like I can recommend this book best based on other books that I feel accomplish a similar vibe, an experience while reading: Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield and I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself by Mac Crane come to mind right away, as does ofc the movie Everywhere All At Once. Really moving and lovely.

don’t have much to say beyond this is very cool and creative and confusing and i enjoyed it a lot.

thank you to harper and netgalley for the arc!

I finished this book a couple of days ago and had to let it sit with me before collecting my thoughts for a few days before writing a review. If I had reviewed it right away, I feel my star rating would have been lower, and I’ll even say not that fair. The writing in this book is beautiful. The stories that have been woven together are engaging. Some are relatable and some are not. And that’s truly part of this book’s allure.

This was a strange and weird book, but deliciously so. If I’m forced to categorize it, I’d call it science fiction. It actually opened my mind to thinking in some ways that I really never have before. I loved how the book wove quantum physics and philosophy together from the early pages. Each chapter actually unfolded like its own short story, but they all worked in concert with each other, which I found quite enjoyable. I’m a non-scientist who enjoys high-level content on dark matter, quantum physics and how the universe works. This book certainly doesn’t offer any answers on the topics (I’m sure that wasn’t the intent, either!), but it gave me some interesting things to think about. That’s really a positive thing, a book that keeps you thinking, not just remembering or reminiscing days after you’ve read it.

This book follows the main Character Raffi through the multiverse where the characters in her life largely remain the same, but Raffi’s relationships with them are different. Raffi is referred to as she in some universes and they in others. Raffi has an academic scientific career in some universes, but is an artist in others. Raffi always seems to learn something different, valuable but related in each setting they find themself in.

It is difficult for me to summarize the plot of this novel, because it does not follow one of the classic formulas like a tragedy or rags-to-riches, but the story moves and it just works. Some of the chapters focus on the pain and challenges of “regular” adulthood (finding oneselves purpose, relationships, etc.) and some chapters are pure science fiction (not adding any spoilers here - just read it and enjoy!)

One interesting note is that the dedication of this book struck out to me as I read it at the very beginning. Then I read it again after I finished. This quote still sits with me. “For anyone who has chased genius because they thought happiness wasn’t made for them.” This really sums up Raffi.

Thanks to Netgalley, Emet North and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read the e-version of this book before release for an honest review in return!

The novel is a fractured mirror reflecting the same cast of characters over and over again in increasingly bizarre and poetic timelines, following them as they transcend gender & sexuality in a journey of love, self-discovery, and grief. While I found the themes to be poignant, the prose & plot were heavily abstracted and often veered the story from meaningful and into college writing seminar. I enjoyed most the timelines that were least metaphorical and most grounded in reality, exploring different ways in which Raffi, Britt, Graham, and Alice meet and or don't meet or reconnect in unexpected ways. If the stories had lingered more in these grounded sections perhaps characters and concepts wouldn't have felt so woefully unfinished - I found myself dying for details on Raffi relationship with her Jewish mother or immigrant grandmother and caring far less to peel away layers of unsubtle metaphor as we were pulled further and further from reality. Maybe the first and last time you will hear me say a book should really have taken more of the "speculative" out of "speculative fiction".

Emet North's In Universes is a novel that captivates readers with the boundless possibilities of life and existence. North masterfully brings this to life through the main character, Raffi, whom we follow as the universe around them shifts, transforming their relationships with other characters from enemies to friends to lovers in each chapter.

Multiverse stories often disappoint me, as they rarely utilize their full potential. However, under the guidance of a skilled author, they can transform into some of the most captivating works. This holds true for North's debut. In Universes ignites a thought-provoking exploration of the common question, "How would my life be if x, y, or z had been different?” The literary quality of the novel makes it a delightful read. Each chapter stands as a unique short story, tracking Raffi through various life stages, from childhood to adulthood. With each tale, Raffi's connections to a consistent cast of characters shift, reflecting the dynamics of the universe they inhabit in that particular chapter. Add to this North's beautiful and often innovative writing style, and you have a narrative that, in just 250 pages, explores themes of mental health, identity, and emotions such as regret and hope more profoundly than many longer works that are twice its size.

In summary, if I were to describe this book in a single sentence, it would be: "In Universes is an experience." It's unique, innovative, empathetic, and oh so beautifully expressed, earning it a star from every universe where I've had the pleasure of experiencing it.

This was a great debut novel from Emet North, it had the use of numerous universes and had that great feel to it. I enjoyed getting to know the characters through this book, I was never bored when reading this and look forward to more from Emet North.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper for the advanced reader’s copy of this book!

I went into this book with a completely different idea than how the plot went. But I was pleasantly surprised by it! If you loved “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once” you are going to love this book!

Seeing the wide array of worlds/multiverses for the cast of characters to live in was amazing. The writing is phenomenal! It took me a few chapters to really get into the story/stories, but once I understood the author’s style, I was captivated.

This is very unlike most books I read. I wanted to read it due merely to the dark matter and multiverse plot in the description. But I’m very glad I was able to step out of my comfort zone.

I am still thinking about some of the chapters and stories days later. Definitely recommended to any readers that enjoy character driven stories with a hint of queer romance, sci-fi, and sand building.

Absolutely incredible! Like if In The Dream House and Everything Everywhere All At Once merged into one, then an additional level of surrealism I couldn't get enough of. Going to be thinking about this one for awhile.