PLOT & PACING
An old man in a nursing home may or may not be recounting past lives. But as he flip-flops on basic facts about who he is and where he’s been, it becomes impossible to track—let alone care. The narrative wavers between confusing and pointless.

CHARACTER & VOICE
If your main character constantly lies, you’d hope for a compelling reason—or at least an interesting reveal. Not here. The protagonist’s delusions are presented with such half-hearted ambiguity that it’s hard to root for, pity, or even tolerate him. I understand now why most of the hospice staff wouldn’t give him the time of day.

STYLE & ATMOSPHERE
Evison’s prose has moments of charm, but the overall effect is flat. There’s no emotional weight to ground the narrative. Whatever atmosphere he aims for gets lost in the shuffle.

THEMES & DEPTH
Sure, there are whispers of reincarnation, love lost, and the unreliability of memory, all themes that should speak to me. But they’re not explored—just tossed out like half-baked ideas. The book seems unsure whether it wants to be profound or quirky and succeeds at neither.

PERSONAL TAKE
I read the first page and then put it down. It sat on my shelf for months before I decided to read it on audio. I didn’t enjoy this, didn’t find it meaningful, and couldn’t wait for it to be over. If I hadn’t been chasing Book of the Month challenges, I think it would still be collecting dust on my shelf, or forgotten completely.