The Possibilities - by Yael Goldstein-Love (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Hannah is having a bad day. A bad month. A bad year? That feels terrible to admit, since it's been eight months since her son, Jack, was born, and she loves Jack more than anything. But ever since his harrowing birth, she can't shake the feeling that it could have gone the other way. That her baby might not have made it. As her cozy, claustrophobic days with Jack begin unraveling, Hannah can't tell whether the strange things happening are just new mom anxiety or if something truly weird and sinister is afoot. What if Hannah really did see something she wasn't supposed to during childbirth? Did she somehow get a glimpse of another path her life could have taken? When Hannah's worst nightmare comes true and Jack disappears from his crib, she discovers that her reeling mind has extraordinary powers that she must tap into in in order to save her child: she has the ability to enter the multiverse-and she must visit different versions of her life while holding onto what is most important to her in this one, in order to bring her child back home"--

Book Synopsis

A new mother ventures into parallel worlds to find her missing child in this "wildly inventive" (San Francisco Chronicle) novel that turns the joys and anxieties of parenthood into an epic quest, "a powerful page-turner with deep wisdom" (People).

"An original take on motherhood, The Possibilities taps into those primal feelings every nurturer feels--and fears."--Good Morning America

A SHE READS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

What if the life you didn't live was as real as the one you did?

Hannah is having a bad day. A bad month. A bad year? That feels terrible to admit, since her son Jack was born just eight months ago and she loves him more than anything. But ever since his harrowing birth, she can't shake the feeling that it could have gone the other way. That her baby might not have made it. Terrifying visions of the different paths her life could have taken begin to disrupt her cozy, claustrophobic days with Jack, destabilizing her marriage and making her husband concerned for her mental health. Are the strange things Hannah is seeing just new-mom anxiety, or is something truly weird and sinister afoot? What if Hannah really did unlock a dark force during childbirth?

When Hannah's worst nightmare comes true and Jack disappears from his crib, she must tap into an extraordinary ability she never knew she had in order to save him: She must enter different versions of her life while holding on to what is most important to her in this one to bring her child back home.

From the intimate joys of parenthood to the cosmic awe of the multiverse, The Possibilities is an ingenious and wildly suspenseful novel that stares down into the dizzying depths of maternal love, vulnerability, and strength.

Review Quotes

"An original take on motherhood, The Possibilities taps into those primal feelings every nurturer feels--and fears."--Good Morning America

"[A] beautiful, exciting book . . . head-spinning."--The New York Times Book Review

"You can't protect your children from everything. This truth is hard for all parents but especially terrifying for Hannah, with her strange ability to see all of her 8-month-old son's possible futures. A powerful page-turner with deep wisdom."--People

"Wildly inventive."--San Francisco Chronicle

"A masterwork . . . [a] brilliant, devastating depiction of the postpartum experience."--Feminist Book Club

"The Possibilities had me intrigued, then gripped, and by its end, greatly moved by its exploration of the quite literally existential stakes of loving another person. Within hours of finishing this novel, I found myself quoting it in conversation. . . . A bravura, unforgettable performance."--Namwali Serpell, author of The Furrows

"Unpredictable and a page-turner, equal parts passion and philosophy, The Possibilities is the tense and twisty tale of an imperiled child, a crumbling marriage, and the desperate woman who is trying to save them both."--Karen Joy Fowler, author of Booth

"At once a profoundly insightful exploration of motherhood in all its joys and sorrows and the best kind of speculative fiction . . . The combination will bend your mind and your heart."--Ayelet Waldman, author of A Really Good Day

"The Possibilities explores motherhood from a place of such raw, animalistic love and with such emotional veracity that I, at times, had to put the book down and take deep breaths. It calls to mind Octavia Butler, Madeleine L'Engle, and most of all Philip K. Dick."--Joanna Rakoff, author of My Salinger Year and A Fortunate Age

"The Possibilities hooked me immediately with its ingenious premise and a story so suspenseful that I had no choice but to ignore everything else to read to its stunning conclusion. Yael Goldstein-Love is an enormous talent."--Edan Lepucki, author of Woman No. 17

"A unique and clever mash-up of science fiction and relationship fiction, this compelling novel explores the joys and fears of being a parent. . . . Imagine if The Push by Ashley Audrain, met Recursion by Blake Crouch, with a sprinkling of This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub."--Booklist

"Part thriller, part psychology, part quantum physics--all fun."--Kirkus Reviews

"Goldstein-Love's game of hopscotch through the multiverse works both as a smart sci-fi thriller and as a metaphor for the worry, exhaustion, and power inherent in motherhood. . . . This memorable, stirring work of suspense is primed to become a sensation in book club circles."--Shelf Awareness

"[This engaging novel] blends an intimate view of new motherhood with an ingenious story of a multiverse. . . . The result is a memorable story about the limits of a parent's ability to protect their child from harm."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Yael Goldstein-Love is the author of The Passion of Tasha Darsky and the co-founder of the literary studio Plympton. She also practices psychotherapy with a particular interest in the transition to parenthood and is working toward her doctorate in clinical psychology. She lives with her son in Berkeley, California.