Repetition of plot

Use this forum to discuss the July 2021 Book of the month, " Worldlines: A Many Worlds Novel" (Many Worlds, #1)" by Adam Guest
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Jackie Holycross
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Re: Repetition of plot

Post by Jackie Holycross »

The repetitions showed how the various timelines were similar. Also, it repeated scientific information that the reader needed to understand. However, I would have appreciated a bit more variation. The word for word parts gave me deja vu and made me want to skim ahead.
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Post by 6eyed »

When I finished reading the book, I was surprised to find that I was in the minority in thinking the author did a great job with the repetition. I think Adam Guest knowingly used repetition to avoid confusion. For example, Gary visits the Loch and Quay in every world line, but by having Gary quickly describe the place, he made it clear it was the first time Gary had been there in that worldline. Additionally, I found the little similarities across the different Garys very charming. For example, Black Line and Blue Line Gary both state they hate physical exercise, despite their vast physical difference. I felt these little similarities added to the feeling that the universe was already predetermined. Yes, Gary's life is very different in this line, but he shares the same emotions about the train station or a nearby restaurant.

I think I only had to skip a couple paragraphs that were identical.
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Post by Uzo_Reviews »

I'm sure the author's repetitions of a part of the previous worldline is to aid in a better understanding of the book by connecting them. Albeit being boring, it didn't have much of a bad effect on the story.
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Post by yomide »

teacherjh wrote: 19 Jul 2021, 18:14 The repetitions showed how the various timelines were similar. Also, it repeated scientific information that the reader needed to understand. However, I would have appreciated a bit more variation. The word for word parts gave me deja vu and made me want to skim ahead.
Exactly, without the repetitions, we wouldn't be able to distinguish between the worldlines. These repetitions might seem exhausting, unnecessary and a waste of time. But for a reader ( like me) who loves to know exactly what, where, why, when, and how; I find it really useful.
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Post by Atieno Magero »

The repetition was very annoying to me. I feel like it slowed down the flow of the story and made the reading experience a bit dull. I understand that it was used for a purpose but it just got under my skin.
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Post by Rwill0988 »

I found the repetition important to see the slight differences between the world lines. Wouldn't skip those lines because there were subtle differences in each retelling.
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Post by hullahope »

No, I wasn't distracted due to the repetitions. I felt that these repetitions were needed to show the similarities among the various worldlines.
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Post by Dzejn_Crvena »

Do you think that the repetition was necessary for each and every scene?
I read and watched similar stories before, so YES. I find it refreshing if some scenes happen again, as long as the whole day is not repeated.

Did it distract you from the plot?
If the repetition is necessary to understand the concept in the novel, then NO. This is how the plot and settings work in this story anyway.

Did you skip the repetitions while reading?
I do it sometimes, but NOT if I'm looking for clues. This is a mystery that needs to be solved, so it's a good thing that there are repetitions.
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Post by lavkathleen »

I wouldn't say that it was the plot that was repeated. The point of the story was having almost similar worldlines, so of course it would seem like the author was simply copying and pasting the same scenes. Our job as readers was figure out what made each worldline different and which small details lead to their circumstances or struggles. It was a little annoying but I did see the appeal at some point and enjoyed it.
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Post by lavkathleen »

Victor Kilyungi wrote: 02 Jul 2021, 04:22 I think it was necessary to show us that there's only a slight difference between different worldlines. I wasn't distracted by it but I know without it the book would have been much shorter. Some of them I perused through like the one for the train station, but mostly I just read through them.
Same here! I keep seeing people say that it was unnecessary and the author should've just made it concise, but as you said, it wouldn't be the same world we read and experienced. At some point, I loved the existence of the repeated scenes because it drives the existence of the alternative universes. Without them, then... how else would we appreciate it?
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Post by lavkathleen »

ROSEYANN wrote: 02 Jul 2021, 08:21 I agree also think that the repetition of the plot is necessary. The whole multiverse idea is not an everyday idea. I think the repetition helped with understanding the book. When changes were made we could see these subtle differences.
Some people found it to be annoying and honestly, I can't blame them. :lol2: But it can't be helped either because it is necessary. It wouldn't be a story about multiple worldlines without the obvious similarities and the subtle differences. Actually, I think the presence of both those aspects complement each other.
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Post by lavkathleen »

Precious Naiti wrote: 02 Jul 2021, 15:43 The repetition was unnecessary. I found it annoying at times and time wasting. I ended up being confused more than once.
But how else could the author showcase the worldlines and their similarities and differences? :( I feel bad that you got confused, though. At which parts? I thought the author was pretty clear when there was a change in POV/worldline, although I think it could still use a little more improvement.
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Post by lavkathleen »

jomana_3 wrote: 02 Jul 2021, 16:51 The repetition wasn't distracting to me. However, I skipped reading some paragraphs that were written exactly the same way in other chapters. In general, the repetition didn't really bother me.
I was tempted to skip some of them, to be honest. :lol2: But I ended up going back because I was scared I might miss something. I can't afford to miss a single detail, not only for writing the review but also for understanding the story itself. It really bothered me; I couldn't be at peace unless I read all of it properly.
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Post by revathy sw »

Yes, I sometimes found the repetition to be a bit tiresome. However, they weren't always completely alike and had subtle differences, so maybe they were essential in adding flavor or distinct characteristics to each worldline.

In connection to the worldline theory, I'd just like to say that there are so many different worldlines (not necessarily of Gary's, maybe that of a new character's) that the author could explore in the future, where something even more outlandish and horrifying than a murder happens. As it is said that there are endless possibilities for how each event in our lives could have played out, there is an infinite number of worldlines that can, in theory, be explored. In the case of this book, the author might have chosen alternate worldlines that are very similar to each other perhaps to show how the slightest variation in how events occur can lead to such massively different outcomes.

On the other hand, the repetition that I did have a serious problem with was the way in which whole paragraphs were lifted out of one worldline and then inserted into the others. Reading the same descriptions about the London Underground and the Ox and Lamb pub repeatedly, got tiresome. These descriptions could easily have been changed. As the Gary in each worldline was different, their ways of speech and thought patterns should also have been different.
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Post by Maggie MacLaren »

I don't think it was distracting, but I did find myself simply skimming over some of the repeated passages. I think with such a unique plotline such as the multiverse concept, the repetition was helpful, if not just a bit dull.
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