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)

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.

I wanted to love this but it gets annoying

I love time travel books even though more often than not they disappoint. I’m not sorry I listened to this one, but man, did it frequently grate.

I rated all the categories 4 stars, which was probably generous but after listening to so many hours of the author’s voice, I developed an affection for him. Mastai is earnest so in the end I couldn’t hit 3s, even if 4 might be too high for certain categories.

Mastai is an excellent narrator, except when he throws Tom into a sing song whine which happens WAY too often. That grates. And it happens many times.

The story premise is good. It’s horribly elongated with way too much navel gazing. So much TELL instead of show. So much tell. So very very very much tell. Did I mention there is a lot of tell? Was there an editor on this book?

Despite the above, I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves the genre. I like the time travel premise and it does a good job of sticking to its own laws. Mastai is likeable as is the main character. Just be ready to be annoyed .

Like nothing I've ever read!

What did you love best about All Our Wrong Todays?

I loved how unpredictable this book was!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Penny was my favorite character because she listened and thought critically.

What about Elan Mastai’s performance did you like?

I liked how when Elan read, it was like the main character was just talking to you.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

MAKE A FILM OF THIS BOOK!

Any additional comments?

This book was funny, sad, intriguing, exciting, and I didn't want to put it down!

Well narrated, fun story

Dystopian book about how wrong things can go if you meddle with time travel. I really liked the telling of this story and that the Author himself narrated it, I think he gave the character the voice I would have imagined had I read the book myself. I really liked/disliked the main character but I think that was the point. Everything fell into place nicely and for a time travel book, was surprisingly easy to follow, I typically struggle putting together timelines. I really enjoyed the character of Greta the most.

An Unexpectedly Perfect Story

I’m still basking in the glow of this book and, honestly, I can’t find the words yet to properly describe it.

I listened to the audio book, and I recommend you do the same. I don’t think anyone but the author, Elan Mastai, could have given this story such an authentic and relatable voice. Imagine sitting with your best friend and having him/her tell you a story...it’s a lot like that in the best possible way.

I’ll truly miss this book now that it’s over, but I’m certain that a movie version is on the way - and hopefully much more from Elan Mastai!

Just when you thought time traveling couldn’t get murky

I loved that Elan was actually reading the story because it gave an insight as to what it was supposed to be read like. The whole thing is really well researched and nearly all the points about time travel are hit even some that you didn’t know existed. The characters are wonderfully built and you’ll have a fun time listening to this one. It’s an awesome story!

Loved loved loved this book!

This was an awesome book and an awesome read by the author. He is one of the best narrators I have heard on audible, and the book drew me in right away. As with all time travel books, it has parts that are ridiculous or that you can't wrap your head around, but overall a really fantastic read, I highly recommend it!

Great Way to Spend Some Time

Compelling subject, characters and storyline. Aside from the sound of the narrator/author’s possible head cold, it was 100% enjoyable.

Unique time travel story well narrated by author

I am usually skeptical of self-narrated books, and was initially concerned about this one too, as he tended to trail off at the end of sentences (a real problem dirt listening while driving). But as the story gained momentum, the narration perfectly fit the emotion of the moment.

Pretentious and whiny

The narrator is absolutely terrible. But the story isn't much better. This character cannot stop whining, no matter the situation. I thought his speech patterns were so pretentious it was hard to stomach his pontificating. And the end was really strange. I didn't like this book much at all.