It is time for me to once again try my hand at science fiction. This continues to be a genre that I have a hard time getting excited about. But when I read the description for Flux by Jinwoo Chong, I was interested to see where this story would go, as it promised to deal with inter-connected storylines, and the bending of time.
The Situation: It is four days before Christmas, and 28 year-old Brandon just learned that he is out of a job. It seems the magazine he has been working at has been bought out, and he is no longer needed. After making an impulsive purchase with his severance pay, a freak accident puts him in close contact with the woman at the store, as well as with a confident and somewhat ridiculous stranger he is fairly certain is hitting on him. For eight year-old Bo, this is the last morning he will see his mother alive, as she will be tragically hit by a school bus. And for 48 year-old Blue, this is his chance to perhaps reconnect with his ex-wife and daughter, while preparing to appear as a witness in an upcoming high profile trial.
The Problem: While Brandon is glad to have a new job, he is still not completely comfortable working with the confident stranger, Lev, or the high profile and incredibly charismatic owner of the company he now works for, Flux. The company is making promises that are hard to believe, and Brandon is confident things are not quite as they seem. Meanwhile, blackouts are becoming more common; Brandon feels guilty over his lack of connection with his father and younger brother; and news has just came out that his favorite childhood star from the 80s had a history of abuse against various individuals. As the stories of Brandon, Bo, and Blue continue and become more connected, it is clear that something bigger is occurring, and great risks must be taken to resolve it.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a science fiction novel set closer to the year 2050, which is merely my estimation based on some clues from the story. Of the three characters that are followed in the story, Brandon inhabits the most of it, and is the only first-person narrator, though he is not necessarily talking to the reader. Throughout his story, Brandon will address Antonin Haubert, the actor who played the main character in a show he watched as a child, Raider. At the time that it aired, the show was known for being willing to portray Asian characters, but by the time Brandon is an adult, it is pretty much acknowledged that those portrayals were racist and insensitive. Readers may be reminded of certain news stories from our own reality, mostly involving the revelation of unsettling past behaviors of celebrities many grew up watching and adoring, as well as the exposure of unethical business practices of celebrity CEOs.
My Verdict: Any story involving any sort of time travel or time bending can be hard to do well. I applaud any author with the courage to take it on and wrestle with it, and Chong certainly did. It is no question that Brandon is an unreliable narrator, something I always enjoy, and this is known from the start when it becomes clear that he is talking to an actor he loved watching as a child, and is still obsessed with the show. Some have made the argument that the story moves slowly, and that the clues take too long to be revealed as do the connections, but as someone who often has a hard time with science fiction, I enjoyed the slower pace. I do wish the connection between the storylines was better explained, and maybe the process explored a little more, but I felt I could fully see the world and the state it is in.
Favorite Moment: There are several moments in this book that are pretty absurd, but my favorite may be the falling-down-an-elevator-shaft incident.
Favorite Character: Min, the woman Brandon meets at a store after he has been let go from his job, does not show up a whole lot during the story, but I like her general presence and the overall role she has in his life.
Recommended Reading: For more science fiction that deals with time travel, I recommend Recursion by Blake Crouch.
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