I Think We've Been Here Before - by Suzy Krause (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

With the end of the world predicted, reality bends in an unexpectedly quirky novel about human connection and the meaning of life and death by the bestselling author of Sorry I Missed You.

Marlen and Hilda Jorgensen's family has received two significant pieces of news: one, Marlen has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Two, a cosmic blast is set to render humanity extinct within a matter of months. It seems the coming Christmas on their Saskatchewan farm could be their last.

Preparing for the inevitable, they navigate the time they have left together. Marlen and Hilda have channeled their energy into improbably prophetic works of art. Hilda's elderly father receives a longed-for visitor from his past. Hilda's teenaged nephew goes missing, and his mother refuses to believe the world is ending. All the while, Hilda's daughter struggles to find her way home from Berlin with the help of an oddly familiar stranger. For everyone, there's an unsettling feeling that this unprecedented reality is something they remember.

As the planet holds its collective breath to see what happens next amid chaos, denial, acceptance, and hope, this one family determines to live every moment as if it's their last. Because, well, it just might be.

Review Quotes

"A story that will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the novel has been finished and set back upon the shelf...highly recommended." --Midwest Book Review

"I Think We've Been Here Before is a rare gem of a book, the kind that instantly inspires you to sit up and pay attention, because something special is unfolding on the page. I don't know what I loved most--the memorable characters, gripping premise, insightful prose, or nearly perfect ending. Suzy Krause writes with a magical touch." --Jessica Strawser, USA Today bestselling author of The Last Caretaker

"I was utterly captivated and entirely entertained by Suzy Krause's brilliantly original, surprisingly uplifting, witty, and suspenseful third novel. Filled with poignant observations about life from characters who are speeding toward the end of the world, I Think We've Been Here Before is about learning it's never too late to discover what's most important." --Meredith Schorr, author of Someone Just Like You

"I Think We've Been Here Before is a propulsive, sweet, and emotional journey from beginning to end. Suzy Krause has delivered a novel that, with the turning of each subsequent page, reveals the beating, soulful heart at the center of this magical and thought-provoking story. It's like looking at the end of the world while wearing rose-colored glasses." --Paul Davidson, author of The Small Stuff and Company of Foos

"Tenderly devastating and beautifully rendered, I Think We've Been Here Before is a love story for the end of the world. Suzy Krause's captivating talent and high-concept execution are a gift to readers--every book should be written this perfectly." --Amber Cowie, author of The Off Season

"With plenty of dark humor and delicate insight, Suzy Krause takes readers on a bittersweet journey as members of an extended family express their love for each other and those around them when time is running out for everyone." --Margo Candela, award-winning author of The Neapolitan Sisters

"Beautiful and heartbreaking, I Think We've Been Here Before is an unforgettable story about how we deal with our own personal endings alongside the end of the world. With lush, masterful prose, Suzy Krause weaves a tale about the power of love, family, and community--packaged against the ticking clock of an impending apocalypse. This is one of those stories that will stay with readers well after the last page, leaving them breathless, hopeful, and ultimately grateful for each day they get to live life alongside those they love most." --Elissa Grossell Dickey, author of The Speed of Light and Iris in the Dark

"I never would have imagined that a story about the world coming to an end could be so hopeful, uplifting, and downright hilarious, but that's exactly what I Think We've Been Here Before delivers. I loved every quirky member of this impressive cast of characters, and I hung on every word of Suzy Krause's masterful prose until the deeply satisfying ending. This charming book will make you laugh, cry, and appreciate every moment with the people you love." --Melissa Wiesner, author of The Second Chance Year

"An extremely poignant and heartwarming exploration of the human experience when confronted by its own mortality. Krause has masterfully rooted this apocalyptic tale in the family unit and it's there that we find ourselves examining our own priorities and values as this beautifully crafted story unfolds." --Perry Chafe, author of Closer by Sea

"I longed for this novel when I wasn't reading it, found I missed Krause's poignant observations, the dazzling, comforting faith in humanity offered on each page, the accounts of the tiny pleasures, huge heartaches, and everything else in between that make up a life. In the end, it was everything I wanted, needed--and, in a strange way, expected, as if I, too, possessed the deep knowing this author channeled into such charming storytelling. This novel moved me, changed me, delighted me, undid me--and, most importantly, it made me unafraid. I will hand it to the people I love most, filled with the hope that they might find what I did within its pages--and the certainty that they will." --Marissa Stapley, New York Times bestselling author of Lucky and The Lightning Bottles

"This book made me feel nostalgic for a better world I might have seen in a dream. It made me want to jump out of a plane, get a tattoo, play pinball, to be the best dad. It made me want to lie in a field and watch the stars. It made me want to gather everyone I love and tell them everything, to say nice things out loud to strangers in the street. In short, it made me want to live." --Tim Blackett, author of Grandview Drive