All Our Wrong Todays

A Novel

By: Elan Mastai

Narrated by: Elan Mastai

Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

You know the future that people in the 1950s imagined we'd have? Well, it happened. In Tom Barren's 2016, humanity thrives in a techno-utopian paradise of flying cars, moving sidewalks, and moon bases, where avocados never go bad and punk rock never existed...because it wasn't necessary.

Except Tom just can't seem to find his place in this dazzling, idealistic world, and that's before his life gets turned upside down. Utterly blindsided by an accident of fate, Tom makes a rash decision that drastically changes not only his own life, but the very fabric of the universe itself. In a time-travel mishap, Tom finds himself stranded in our 2016, what we think of as the real world. For Tom, our normal reality seems like a dystopian wasteland.

But when he discovers wonderfully unexpected versions of his family, his career, and - maybe, just maybe - his soul mate, Tom has a decision to make. Does he fix the flow of history, bringing his utopian universe back into existence, or does he try to forge a new life in our messy, unpredictable reality? Tom's search for the answer takes him across countries, continents, and timelines in a quest to figure out, finally, who he really is and what his future - our future - is supposed to be.

All Our Wrong Todays is about the versions of ourselves that we shed and grow into over time. It is a story of friendship and family, of unexpected journeys and alternate paths, and of love in its multitude of forms. Filled with humor and heart, and saturated with insight and intelligence and a mind-bending talent for invention, this novel signals the arrival of a major talent.

©2017 Elan Mastai (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

“Instantly engaging....A timeless, if mind-bending, story about the journeys we take, populated by friends, family, lovers, and others, that show us who we might be, could be - and maybe never should be - that eventually leads us to who we are.” (USA Today)

“Mastai creates a fascinating tapestry of interconnected alternate realities....A potent mixture of sincere introspection and a riveting examination of time travel and alternate realities, this highly recommended novel is reminiscent of Jo Walton’s My Real Children with the breeziness of Robin Sloan’s Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore.” (Library Journal [starred review])

“[An] imaginative debut novel....Mastai has fun with all the usual conventions of time travel and its many paradoxes, and the cherry on top is his dialogue, reminiscent of Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” (Publishers Weekly)

Really fun time travel novel

The first half of this time travel novel was good, but not great. Still, it set the stage for a really fun second half. I liked the characters, but it was the plot that made this one of the best time travel novels I have read or listened to (The best is Time and Again by Jack Finney). This novel had a fun, Back To The Future feel to it. Many plot and time twists and turns. This is more of a light, fun, summer-read kind of novel than a serious science one, and it totally hit the mark for me. The side effects of trying to change the past is at the center of this story. And it is a fun love story, too. The narrator had a perfect voice for the protagonist in the first person narrative. While there were flaws that I could list, how can I rate one of my very favorite time travel stories less than a 5? I smiled a lot while listening. It was fun, light entertainment at its best, and I ended out loving it.

Just..wow

Upon discovering this book I have found not only an amazing author but also an amazing narrator. just my luck they are the same person!
This story is not an action adventure or time travel romp in the traditional sense. yet it still fills that void.
this book is sad. heart breakingly so.
this book is also funny.
it is serious and it will make you think.. Oh will it make you think.
get this book. you owe it to yourself.

Excellent listen!

It took me an hour or two to really get into this book. The main character is pretty miserable in the beginning. Once the story unfolds it's very engaging and exciting, a must listen if your into sci fi/time travel!

An Interesting Listen...

I can understand a little griping about the narration at occasional points, though I think overall the author did a good job.
The story felt a little silly at times but remained entertaining and later took on more depth with the main character as the story progressed.
The author has interesting ideas on time travel and various technologies that add to the joy of listening.

Nope.

I think (given the number of 5 star reviews) that you either love this book or hate it. I hated it. The story idea was interesting and it could have been a really interesting, suspenseful, high tech adventure. Instead, it was a stereotypical angst-filled yawn of a story featuring a guy with no real direction having as many sexual encounters as he can. I don’t care about him, his family, or honestly any of the characters until almost 3/4 of the way through the book (and even then I just barely cared!) I finished the book because that’s how I roll but was just as underwhelmed by the ending. Spend your money on a different book!!

awesome!

loved this book, the story gripped me right from the start, didn't need any time to get into the book. entertaining!!!

A bit flat

The story was just a bit flat. It was ok, but books should make me want to read/hear more and I would have to remind myself to turn it back on so I could finish it and move on.

navel gazing

I really tried to like this book and almost finished it, but, in the end I am going to exchange it. There are a couple of novel ideas regarding time travel, but in the end, the main character spent too much time spent on self doubt, self recrimination, self (and others) psychoanalysis, and a general slacker malaise mentality.

Couldn’t Stand the Whining

After a couple of hours of listening to the book, I gave up. Much of it consisted of the protagonist whining about his previous life, and there weren’t any other characters that could offset the chronic negativity.

Save your money for other books such as Dark Matter or The Punch Escrow. They both do an excellent job of what this book purports to do: consider the “what if” of lives lived and sacrifices made in alternate realities.

I enjoyed the twists and turns.

Great characters and suspense. Enjoyed the audio book. I recommend this if you enjoy time travel and male point of view.