Sunday, March 18, 2018

The Coincidence Makers by Yoav Blum


THE COINCIDENCE MAKERS by Yoav Blum is a very imaginative novel and the US debut for its best-selling Israeli author.  ... What if you worked for a secret group where your job was to study other people and use the knowledge about their habits and beliefs to make coincidences happen? That is exactly what Guy, Emily and Eric do. In the process, there is plenty of opportunity to reflect on why things happen.  At one point the author contrasts people standing at one end of a continuum (those who believe that everything is coincidental) and those at the other end (who are sure there is a plan and nothing happens randomly). Blum says, “people standing at the two extremes are the happiest people in the world.  At both ends. Do you know why? Because they don’t ask why. Never. Not at all.”

THE COINCIDENCE MAKERS involves romance, mystery and adventure centered on fate and free will. As one character muses, "you didn't get to new places when you followed the same path every day." You will stretch your thinking and be surprised by this unique and sophisticated novel which received a starred review from Booklist. And finally, here’s an apt description from Publishers Weekly: "Blum rides the delicate balance between the world of the truly unbelievable and the universe you can see if you squint your eyes just right." THE COINCIDENCE MAKERS is one of my favorite books of the year so far.

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