Harry August is no ordinary man. Every time he dies, he's born again as himself and has to live his life all over again. On his deathbed in his 11th life, he's met by a young girl, another of his type, who tells him that the end of the world is happening faster than it should, and Harry can help prevent it.
This is a high concept thriller, although you could describe it as a long form Groundhog Day if you were feeling mean. I'm not though since I enjoyed this book a lot.
Harry is an intriguing narrator, guiding us through his many existences with aplomb. The various characters he meets in his lives are well drawn, especially the recurring ones. The Cronos Club is a brilliant invention.
The logic of how it all works is admittedly a little fuzzy around the edges and there is a lot of discussion in the book to obfuscate and contemplate the matter still further. I loved the deep dive into how this type of repeated existence would impact a person. When death becomes an annoyance at having to go through puberty again, what is it going to do to you?
It's one of the most unusual thrillers I've read. This was my first Claire North book and certainly won't be my last. She has a clear easy style of writing that makes the most ludicrous concepts seem logical inside their framework. There's a sly humour running through it as well (the going through puberty again line I used earlier is taken from midway through the book) that cuts through some of the deeper discussions about the meaning of existence when doomed/fated to repeat it endlessly.
An easy 8/10, maybe edging to a 9.
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