Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Penguin (Non-Classics) (2010), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 320 pages
Description
You alone know that the world will end thirty-six years after your birth. Do you succumb to nihilistic apathy? Use your singular knowledge to save mankind? To what end do you live your life?
Media reviews
Above all “Everything Matters!” radiates writerly confidence. The excitement that drives the reader from page to page is not about the characters. It’s about seeing what Mr. Currie will try next.
User reviews
LibraryThing member bragan
The story of a man who was born with voices in his head that tell him things -- true things -- including the exact date and time of the upcoming end of the world. It's a strange and fascinating novel, well-written, and features some philosophical questions and answers that are thought-provoking
It's not entirely without flaws, though. For one thing... Well, there's a useful rule of thumb in speculative fiction that says that readers will give you one wildly unbelievable premise for free, assuming you do something interesting with it, but once they've granted you that indulgence it's unwise to ask for too much more. And, maybe two thirds of the way through, this one threw in a couple of additional implausibilities that caused my previously easy suspension of disbelief to snap pretty badly. That wasn't entirely fatal to my enjoyment, and it may be something that's unlikely to bother anybody but me, anyway. But that, along with perhaps some other much harder-to-put-a-finger-on issues, ultimately left me feeling that this book, which seems as if it could have been utterly terrific, is instead only good.
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without being too heavy-handed. It's not entirely without flaws, though. For one thing... Well, there's a useful rule of thumb in speculative fiction that says that readers will give you one wildly unbelievable premise for free, assuming you do something interesting with it, but once they've granted you that indulgence it's unwise to ask for too much more. And, maybe two thirds of the way through, this one threw in a couple of additional implausibilities that caused my previously easy suspension of disbelief to snap pretty badly. That wasn't entirely fatal to my enjoyment, and it may be something that's unlikely to bother anybody but me, anyway. But that, along with perhaps some other much harder-to-put-a-finger-on issues, ultimately left me feeling that this book, which seems as if it could have been utterly terrific, is instead only good.
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LibraryThing member little_prof
Currie - well, ok, Currie's agent and publisher - have been quietly spreading suggestions that he is the newest great American satirist, lampooning the failures and flaws of our culture left and right, quite possibly the true heir to Vonnegut. Currie's a great writer with a tremendous way with
The plot, such that it is, concerns Junior Thibodeaux's life. Born in middle class America with an older brother and loving but sometimes distant parents, there's only one big difference between Junior and everyone else: he's been aware, from the moment he was born, that the earth was going to be destroyed when he's thirty six years old. It looms over his young mind, a spectre that influences every decision he makes, colors all his experiences. It's the way that Currie frames those decisions, and the madcap dash through Junior's life, that makes up the first two thirds of the novel, stopping only occassionally for a few breathtaking detours detailing family bonds and the capricious nature of life and death, even to a young man who thinks he knows how it's all going to end. As to the last third of Everything Matters - well, let me just say that I won't spoil it for you, and leave it at that.
Of course, a good premise is only a good premise. It's Currie's writing that really makes the book work. Some of the narrative trickery he engages in is a tightrope act of genius precision - most notably the narrator that pops up, every few chapters, to comment wryly on Junior's progress through life from the confines of his head. This unseen, unnamed narrator opens the book in its first chapter, with Junior still ensconced in the womb - the very first line functioning as a perfect example of the dry, empathetic nature of the character. 'First, enjoy this time! Never again will you bear so little responsibility for your own survival.' The narrator attempts to guide Junior, fails drastically more often than not, but still returns, over and over and over again throughout the novel, just to check in to see if he's learned his lesson yet. What that lesson is, what it might mean, circles right back around to the purpose of the work, as it is this same narrator that has encoded in Junior his knowledge of the world's impending doom.
As the title bounces back and forth between Junior, his unseen narrator, and collections of other characters - most notably Junior's older brother, a petty bully turned gentle, slightly-brain-damaged pro baseball star - Currie manages to weave a tapestry of great sympathy for every character he approaches. Again, there's that humanist standpoint, and it's hard to argue with, giving the title of the novel it's heft. There's a trick to making characters likable, especially when we've witnessed them doing some fairly despicable things. This debut manages it with aplomb. At the end of the day, the only thing unengaging about Currie's debut novel is it's dull-as-dishwater cover.
-Drew
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words, but beyond that, the comparison isn't particularly apt. I'd hesitate to say that he's particularly satirizing anything within Everything Matters - there's too much genuine love for our whole messy, flawed, careless, wonderful species. If Currie's anything, he's a humanist; most of the characters, including the protagonist, are deeply flawed creatures, but it's their redemption, not their failures, that Currie's interested in.The plot, such that it is, concerns Junior Thibodeaux's life. Born in middle class America with an older brother and loving but sometimes distant parents, there's only one big difference between Junior and everyone else: he's been aware, from the moment he was born, that the earth was going to be destroyed when he's thirty six years old. It looms over his young mind, a spectre that influences every decision he makes, colors all his experiences. It's the way that Currie frames those decisions, and the madcap dash through Junior's life, that makes up the first two thirds of the novel, stopping only occassionally for a few breathtaking detours detailing family bonds and the capricious nature of life and death, even to a young man who thinks he knows how it's all going to end. As to the last third of Everything Matters - well, let me just say that I won't spoil it for you, and leave it at that.
Of course, a good premise is only a good premise. It's Currie's writing that really makes the book work. Some of the narrative trickery he engages in is a tightrope act of genius precision - most notably the narrator that pops up, every few chapters, to comment wryly on Junior's progress through life from the confines of his head. This unseen, unnamed narrator opens the book in its first chapter, with Junior still ensconced in the womb - the very first line functioning as a perfect example of the dry, empathetic nature of the character. 'First, enjoy this time! Never again will you bear so little responsibility for your own survival.' The narrator attempts to guide Junior, fails drastically more often than not, but still returns, over and over and over again throughout the novel, just to check in to see if he's learned his lesson yet. What that lesson is, what it might mean, circles right back around to the purpose of the work, as it is this same narrator that has encoded in Junior his knowledge of the world's impending doom.
As the title bounces back and forth between Junior, his unseen narrator, and collections of other characters - most notably Junior's older brother, a petty bully turned gentle, slightly-brain-damaged pro baseball star - Currie manages to weave a tapestry of great sympathy for every character he approaches. Again, there's that humanist standpoint, and it's hard to argue with, giving the title of the novel it's heft. There's a trick to making characters likable, especially when we've witnessed them doing some fairly despicable things. This debut manages it with aplomb. At the end of the day, the only thing unengaging about Currie's debut novel is it's dull-as-dishwater cover.
-Drew
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LibraryThing member ternary
Often tedious, with irritatingly shallow takes on addiction, love, genius and second chances, the book is (surprisingly) worth working through for the finish. Exceedingly soft, touching, walking a line that I couldn't have imagined not falling off into deep maudlin schmaltz, Currie pulls it off
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wonderfully. Show Less
LibraryThing member slsmitty25
If you're looking to read a book that makes you think why do we do the things we do then this is the book for you. Junior was born knowing when the end of the world would occur. This information gives him a bleak outlook on life though at times he is spurred to do the right thing, mostly for the
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wrong reasons, or by the voices in his head. When the end of the world arrives Junior is given a choice that can change his life forever. Both I and the voices in his head were surprised by the decision he makes. A bitter-sweet story of love, life & loss. Show Less
LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: Junior Thibodeau has known, since he was in the womb, exactly how and when the world was going to end: by direct impact with a comet on June 15, 2010, at 3:44 p.m. - roughly thirty-six years after Junior's birth. Junior has voices in his head that tell him as much, along with other
Review: This book started out with two things very much in its favor: a fantastic premise, and an author who is very skilled at crafting dryly funny, slightly bizarre, immediately recognizable characters, situations, and scenes. And yet, in the final analysis, I felt like Everything Matters! came out as less than the sum of its parts. I'm not saying it was bad, by any means. I definitely enjoyed reading it. But I wanted to love it, I should have loved it, and I just didn't. I finished the book not sure whether I should be weeping or overcome with a serious case of the warmfuzzies, and while I can appreciate that the author may have left things somewhat ambiguous on purpose, it was still strange to come out of a book not only not sure what I should be feeling, but not even sure what I was feeling, other than a bit wrung-out.
I think part of my problem was that the novel never went in the direction I was expecting it to. In fact, it never went in the direction it was setting itself up to go. Like I said, the premise of the novel is fantastic: If you know for certain that the world is going to end, what's the point of anything? Does anything you do matter, and why? And how? The book's conclusion is given away in the exclamatory title, but I felt like we never really got to satisfactorily see Junior (or anyone else) wrestle with the issue, and never had a convincing bulk of evidence presented for either the "Everything" or "Nothing" side of the argument. Instead, it felt like the novel's focus on its postmodern, slightly wacky, multiple POV slice-of-life vignettes kept it from ever fully engaging with the issues it wanted so badly to raise. It's well-written, and interesting enough in its own right, it's just not the story I thought I would be getting.
Despite all that, however, I still think this one is worth the read. Everything Matters! is one of those special cases - like Keith Donohue's The Stolen Child - where the premise is so interesting that I'm willing to overlook the flaws in the handling of the story in favor of the thought-provoking questions that it raises. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: Worth reading for the concept, and probably worth reading for the story as well - just don't expect them to always to match up.
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prophetic tidbits of information, much more than any child can or should have to handle. But, despite knowing that he'll never see his thirty-seventh birthday, Junior goes through life, coping as best he can with his cocaine-addict-turned-pro-ballplayer brother, his overprotective and alcoholic mother, his distant and ill father, and Amy, his childhood sweetheart and the love of his life. Junior is unique, but for all of his skills and knowledge, can he possibly prevent the inevitable? And if he can't, what difference do any of his other choices make, anyways?Review: This book started out with two things very much in its favor: a fantastic premise, and an author who is very skilled at crafting dryly funny, slightly bizarre, immediately recognizable characters, situations, and scenes. And yet, in the final analysis, I felt like Everything Matters! came out as less than the sum of its parts. I'm not saying it was bad, by any means. I definitely enjoyed reading it. But I wanted to love it, I should have loved it, and I just didn't. I finished the book not sure whether I should be weeping or overcome with a serious case of the warmfuzzies, and while I can appreciate that the author may have left things somewhat ambiguous on purpose, it was still strange to come out of a book not only not sure what I should be feeling, but not even sure what I was feeling, other than a bit wrung-out.
I think part of my problem was that the novel never went in the direction I was expecting it to. In fact, it never went in the direction it was setting itself up to go. Like I said, the premise of the novel is fantastic: If you know for certain that the world is going to end, what's the point of anything? Does anything you do matter, and why? And how? The book's conclusion is given away in the exclamatory title, but I felt like we never really got to satisfactorily see Junior (or anyone else) wrestle with the issue, and never had a convincing bulk of evidence presented for either the "Everything" or "Nothing" side of the argument. Instead, it felt like the novel's focus on its postmodern, slightly wacky, multiple POV slice-of-life vignettes kept it from ever fully engaging with the issues it wanted so badly to raise. It's well-written, and interesting enough in its own right, it's just not the story I thought I would be getting.
Despite all that, however, I still think this one is worth the read. Everything Matters! is one of those special cases - like Keith Donohue's The Stolen Child - where the premise is so interesting that I'm willing to overlook the flaws in the handling of the story in favor of the thought-provoking questions that it raises. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: Worth reading for the concept, and probably worth reading for the story as well - just don't expect them to always to match up.
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LibraryThing member Grendelschoice
A nominee for one of the books I'd have everyone in the world read
contest. The premise is: does anything you do matter if you are born
embedded with the absolute certainty that the world will come to end on
A specific date some 30 years after your birth? The journey toward "yes"
is amazing.
contest. The premise is: does anything you do matter if you are born
embedded with the absolute certainty that the world will come to end on
A specific date some 30 years after your birth? The journey toward "yes"
is amazing.
LibraryThing member auntmarge64
Unexpectedly, this was a book I couldn't put down. Despite the fact that it's clear from the first few pages that the world is doomed, this story of a boy who has been given this information since before birth, and who grows up with the knowledge of exactly how long he will live and how life will
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end for everyone here, is mesmerizing and beautifully written. Told from various viewpoints, including that of the beings who have given Junior this information and continue to talk to him throughout his life, the simple humanity of Junior's life and of those around him pulls the reader in and forces the reader's emotional involvement. Magical. Show Less
LibraryThing member subbobmail
Everything Matters is a novel centered around Junior, who knows (even before he is born) that the world is going to by a comet in the year 2010. Thus his whole life is centered around one questiuon: Does anything I do matter? Does anything AT ALL matter?
Well, the answer is right there in the title,
I'm speaking of the book in vague terms simply because I want other readers to encounter the characters on their own, and be moved by what happens to them. Currie gets compared to Vonnegut, but that comparison is not quite fair -- to Currie, who may not be as funny, but creates more flesh-and-blood people than Vonnegut ever did. Read this.
Well, the answer is right there in the title,
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but the beauty of Ron Currie's book lies in how he demonstrates WHY everything counts. This book builds literally toward global apocalypse, but really it's a small-scale book about love and family. We don't experience life on a cosmic scale, not really -- we feel what happens to us, and what happens to those we love. And on a personal level, is there really any difference between the end of the world as a whole and the end of your own life? Since you are surely going to die and be forgotten, does it make sense to even get up in the morning? Yes it does, Currie shows, because we have fathers, mothers, brothers, lovers, friends. We don't stop caring about them because we know they will die. I'm speaking of the book in vague terms simply because I want other readers to encounter the characters on their own, and be moved by what happens to them. Currie gets compared to Vonnegut, but that comparison is not quite fair -- to Currie, who may not be as funny, but creates more flesh-and-blood people than Vonnegut ever did. Read this.
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LibraryThing member alexann
While still in the womb, the voice in his head tells Junior that the world will end on June 15, 2010. Kind of a depressing way to grow up, no? So the question Junior wants to answer is does everything matter? Or does nothing matter? At various times of his life, he answers this question
There is lots of philosophy of life here, and a good dose of Vonnegut-esque humor. Slightly meandering at time--some of the plot lines could have been shorter, but overall very satisfying.
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differently, so we follow along with him on his roller coaster of high achievement and drug/alcohol abuse. If you knew the world was going to end when you are 36 years old, how would you choose to live? The format takes getting used to--Junior's story is told from many different points of view, including the disembodied voice, his mother, his girlfriend, his brother. There is lots of philosophy of life here, and a good dose of Vonnegut-esque humor. Slightly meandering at time--some of the plot lines could have been shorter, but overall very satisfying.
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LibraryThing member nyiper
I'm perplexed! I actually found the book fascinating even when it took on a more sci-fi interpretation that I wasn't expecting when I picked it up as an audio. The title was wonderful and I'm thinking he author kept that as the entire central focus to all of us. In case you think something doesn't
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matter, you're wrong, it does. An odd book but I was perfectly willing to keep listening right to the very last word. Delighted to be able to read other people's thoughts. Show Less
LibraryThing member booksmitten
"A great novel, probably unlike anything else you've read. Imagine learning, on the day you're born, when and how the world will end (during your lifetime). What would YOU do with that information?"
I really enjoyed this book. Good for fans of David Foster Wallace and Don DeLillo. Good commentary on
I really enjoyed this book. Good for fans of David Foster Wallace and Don DeLillo. Good commentary on
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the human condition and on the state of our world and our culture. Nicely fleshed out characters. And they all felt consistent, even after the alternate shift in the last 30 pages. I've got a weakness for shifting points of view, for kaleidoscopic narrative progression, and Currie did it well. I liked the rather experimental sections at the beginning and the end (the womb and the alternate ending) -- they provided nice bookends to the main body. I was refreshingly immersed in this book, read it in less than a week. Show Less
LibraryThing member 2wonderY
This was very powerfully written, and in places, I'd call it genius. Surprised to find such excellence here.
LibraryThing member Litfan
"Everything Matters!" tackles the question: how would a person live their lives with the knowledge, given to them before birth, that in 36 years all life on Earth will cease to exist? Given the ultimate outcome of life, whether by comet, car crash or natural death, do any of our actions really
Told from the perspective of John Jr., or Junior, the knowing protagonist, The Voice that bestowed the knowledge and then accompanies him through life, and various family members, the novel follows Junior's choices from birth to the time the cataclysmic event draws near.
There is a point in the novel where Junior's character becomes a bit unlikeable. There are also some plot twists that could feel a bit implausible, but Currie's strength as a writer is getting the reader to trust him enough to suspend disbelief. His witty and captivating writing style successfully smoothes over the rough parts. His voice is fresh, sometimes sardonic, and often deeply philosophical. In a novel with an obviously depressing theme, Currie manages to inject hope. It's a unique novel that remains engaging even through the minor bumps in the storyline, and entertains while provoking some interesting philosophical questions.
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matter?Told from the perspective of John Jr., or Junior, the knowing protagonist, The Voice that bestowed the knowledge and then accompanies him through life, and various family members, the novel follows Junior's choices from birth to the time the cataclysmic event draws near.
There is a point in the novel where Junior's character becomes a bit unlikeable. There are also some plot twists that could feel a bit implausible, but Currie's strength as a writer is getting the reader to trust him enough to suspend disbelief. His witty and captivating writing style successfully smoothes over the rough parts. His voice is fresh, sometimes sardonic, and often deeply philosophical. In a novel with an obviously depressing theme, Currie manages to inject hope. It's a unique novel that remains engaging even through the minor bumps in the storyline, and entertains while provoking some interesting philosophical questions.
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LibraryThing member ninjoblio
While I did end up liking this book, I really felt the middle section kind of wandered all over the place. Without wholly giving anything away, that 'wandering' made more sense as things moved along, but I still didn't think the end saved the book entirely.
Definitely a book where the enjoyment
Definitely a book where the enjoyment
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wasn't so much in the journey as it was where you were at the end of that journey. Show Less
LibraryThing member ApollosCrow
Ron Currie Jr. (God is Dead) weaves a wonderful tale of human connections and the timeless existential dilemma, in a style that blends unapologetic realism with raw insight and a dash of the fantastic.
A boy is born with specific knowledge of humanity's impending demise via comet, and spends his
Definitely one of the betters books to have come out in recent years.
A boy is born with specific knowledge of humanity's impending demise via comet, and spends his
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life struggling in various ways to fight fate and to deal with the apparent uselessness of everything. It's told from multiple perspectives and has an interesting narrative structure. Most importantly it is an honest book, exploring simultaneously the despair of knowing our end (which, let's face it, we all do anyhow) and the amazing fact that even in the face of that despair, even against its inevitability, still "everything matters" - beauty, sacrifice, family, love.Definitely one of the betters books to have come out in recent years.
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LibraryThing member DenzilPugh
A modern Candide. Voltaire used his episodic tale of misery and woe to demonstrate that happiness can never really be found, not until the very end, when the main characters all live in a shack and tend a garden outside. Living life is the only true happiness that mankind can have, and no amount of
I love apocalyptic books. I can remember reading When Worlds Collide by Wylie and Balmer at Band Camp, laying on the couch in the building next to our cabin and loving every minute of the book (well, the comfy couch and air conditioning helped.) There's nothing like the end of the world, and Currie's book is all about that. Except, the main character, Junior Thibodeax, has known all his life that the world will end on a certain day in the future, and it's the alien voices' experiment to see whether the knowledge of impending doom has any impact on his life. Whether, in a world where nothing matters, if anything matters at all. Starting with a blow by blow of his deliverance in the hospital, to his destruction by asteroid (maybe), the book details his life with a sardonic irony and humor that is quite entertaining. With Junior's knowledge and intelligence he sets out to save the human race, trying to fight the prediction that everyone will die in a gigantic fireball.
However, whether he succeeds or not, we aren't really sure, because the aliens come to him right before the end date and explain to him something he already knew... that the Earth he lived on is only one of millions of possibilities in a multiverse separated only by a sliver of a second. That basically there is a ring around the sun of different realities, and in each of those Earths, Junior makes a different decision, from not squashing a bug to not telling his big secret to his girlfriend, which effects the outcome of the world tremendously. It's the whole butterfly in the Sahara theory. A bit of a spoiler, but, the ending chapters are considerably different than the rest, and nothing much happens, but in the end, Junior's realization that Everything Matters proves the aliens wrong in their original assumption, and proves Voltaire right.
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philosophical reasoning, or wealth, or fame, can ever get him that status. Except that's not the book I'm here to review. I love apocalyptic books. I can remember reading When Worlds Collide by Wylie and Balmer at Band Camp, laying on the couch in the building next to our cabin and loving every minute of the book (well, the comfy couch and air conditioning helped.) There's nothing like the end of the world, and Currie's book is all about that. Except, the main character, Junior Thibodeax, has known all his life that the world will end on a certain day in the future, and it's the alien voices' experiment to see whether the knowledge of impending doom has any impact on his life. Whether, in a world where nothing matters, if anything matters at all. Starting with a blow by blow of his deliverance in the hospital, to his destruction by asteroid (maybe), the book details his life with a sardonic irony and humor that is quite entertaining. With Junior's knowledge and intelligence he sets out to save the human race, trying to fight the prediction that everyone will die in a gigantic fireball.
However, whether he succeeds or not, we aren't really sure, because the aliens come to him right before the end date and explain to him something he already knew... that the Earth he lived on is only one of millions of possibilities in a multiverse separated only by a sliver of a second. That basically there is a ring around the sun of different realities, and in each of those Earths, Junior makes a different decision, from not squashing a bug to not telling his big secret to his girlfriend, which effects the outcome of the world tremendously. It's the whole butterfly in the Sahara theory. A bit of a spoiler, but, the ending chapters are considerably different than the rest, and nothing much happens, but in the end, Junior's realization that Everything Matters proves the aliens wrong in their original assumption, and proves Voltaire right.
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LibraryThing member tikilights
This had all of the potential to be a 5-star book, but at the halfway mark it sort of fell apart and became a little outlandish. I'm never a fan of the abrupt use of "all expenses paid by a government agency" just to propel a storyline forward (and solving lung cancer in a month? okay...). BUT the
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quality of writing and first half of the book was excellent enough to keep the rating high. Show Less
LibraryThing member KatieCarella
This book was great!!! It makes you appreciate ALL of life's moments - even the unhappy or painful ones. A poignant, moving, and expertly constructed story of humanity, and the fight for survival, love, and happiness. It explores a man's long road to acceptance of the inability to rescue oneself or
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loved ones from experiencing life's ups and downs. Show Less
LibraryThing member nyiper
Somehow, I didn't check my list of books before listening to this....again! And I loved it even more a second time, not even realizing that I had listened to it previously. I'm always working on something while I'm listening but it doesn't say much for me doing two things at the same time. At any
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rate, it was a great story and everything DOES matter, spelled out beautifully. Show Less
LibraryThing member mkunruh
An odd, surprisingly sweet book that I was really glad that I read. I picked it off the TOB's long list and am sorry it didn't make the short list. I'm really liking this spate of non-cynical books.
LibraryThing member pidgeon92
What a bizarre novel. I think had I read it vs. listening to the audiobook, I wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much.
LibraryThing member annszyp
If you knew from birth the world would be destroyed when you are thirty-something, would every thing matter? Or would nothing matter? I loved this book -- I found it thoughtful and original. I happened across an advance copy, and can't wait until it's published and I can push it.
LibraryThing member reader1009
Adult fiction. I was afraid that this book would turn out to be too preachy, or too philosophical, but it's neither. It is, however, profound and v. engrossing.
Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 2011)
Alex Award (2010)
Los Angeles Times Best Books of the Year (Fiction — 2009)
Language
Original publication date
2009
Physical description
320 p.; 8.38 inches
ISBN
0143117513 / 9780143117513