Ron Currie’s novel Everything Matters! truly stuck with me this year. First of all, the novel provided the unique prospective of multiple first person speakers. This helped to see the world of the characters through their eyes which helped bring them to life. I also found the flawed characters very relatable. Junior’s mother Debbie “is a drunk” which creates tension in the family (55). Currie also appealed to my humor through the character of Amy. I found the moment where she decides to smoke on the plane quite humorous, “pathetic, I know, but it doesn’t take much to thrill you when you’re so used to following the rules” (203). I also found the whole idea of multiple universes quite intriguing. To think that the option to “pick a self. Any self” might exist baffles me (262). And the whole idea of Junior stepping on a bee completely altering his future really made me sit down and think about how every little action I have made has helped to form the life I have today. If I think about this too much, the idea ensues panic in my mind. Simply thinking about the "precious moments of my life ticking away” seems like a daunting task. However, Currie manages to calm these nerves with Junior’s absolute calm approach to accepting death in the end. He leaves readers with an uplifting message that “anything, anything, anything is possible” (302).
I also loved this book and it is definitely a close second to Cuckoo Nest on my favorite list. I also enjoyed it for similar reasons that you did, like the awesome narration perspectives and overall content. I also found it interesting because it was a totally new type of book and dealt with the whole 'apocalypse' topic in a refreshing, unique way. Overall, i agree that Everything Matter! is a great novel and I have even recommended it to normal, non-AP English people.
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