Would you go back to your 16th birthday to get it right?
In the early morning hours following her 40th birthday, Alice Stern drunkenly stumbles into the guardhouse outside her ailing father’s house, looking to sleep off her birthday libations. Most 40year-olds would awaken to nothing but a raging hangover, but instead, magically, Alice opens her eyes to discover she’s back in 1996 on her 16th birthday. Her mind is the same, but she’s young again, free from the aches of impending middle age and free to redo some elements of her not-entirely-sweet 16.
This dream scenario is the foundation of “This Time Tomorrow,” the latest novel from Emma Straub, co-owner of the beloved Brooklyn bookstore, Books Are Magic, and author of best-selling novels “The Vacationers” and “Modern Lovers.”
The heroine of this newest novel seems to have been inspired, at least partially, by Straub herself, given their similarities. They’re both New Yorkers. Alice grew up in the city and began working in the admissions department of her elite private school alma mater. It was supposed to be a stopgap gig, but Alice never left, making her feel unsure if she’s where she belongs.
Alice resembles the author in at least one more way: Both are the daughters of genre fiction writers. Peter Straub has written dozens of novels, novellas and short story collections, mostly within the horror genre, and even co-wrote “The Talisman” with Stephen King. The main character of “This Time Tomorrow” can relate; Alice’s father penned a science fiction cult classic which became even more successful after the television adaptation took off.
It was the money pouring in from her father’s sole creative project that provided for Alice after her mother left the family. Leonard Stern raised Alice all by himself, and while his laissez-faire parenting approach caused his daughter to grow up more quickly than ideal, the two have always shared a deep bond.
For Alice, witnessing her father being young again is the hardest part of revisiting her life at 16. Back in the present year, he is in the midst of the slow, agonizing process of dying.
Alice sees this unexpected time travel experience as a way to set things right. If she can get her father to lead a healthier life, maybe they’ll get more time together.
Alice, likely named for Lewis Carroll’s world-hopping leading lady, learns the ins and outs of bouncing across time and begins to do so with a mission: She is determined to perform the perfect combination of actions on her 16th birthday that will result in the life she hopes to be leading at 40. The only way to get it perfect is through trial and error, but there will be some shocking consequences along the way.
“This Time Tomorrow” is one of a crop of existential books popping up recently that practically scream they were written in 2020. The beginning of the pandemic and its threat to human life raised serious questions in all of us about how we wanted to spend our limited time on earth. It’s no surprise writers processed those difficult thoughts and emotions by writing.
Yet, despite its grim origin, Straub’s newest novel is gentle, even whimsical in its approach as it challenges readers to examine what truly matters and invest our time accordingly. With its powerful and timely message wrapped in an effortlessly fun and moving story, “This Time Tomorrow” is a winning comfort read.
Emma Straub will discuss “This Time Tomorrow” with author Sarah Elaine Smith at White Whale Books & Coffee in Bloomfield on Wednesday from 7:30-9 p.m. The event will also be livestreamed on Facebook. Attendance at the store event is free, but masks and proof of vaccination are required. Go to www. whitewhalebooksstore.com to register or for information.