Name: Sarah Sammis's review of An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim
Item: An Ocean of Minutes
Rating: 5
Author: Sarah Sammis

Thea Lim

'This is a novel I've been waiting for... an extraordinary book' Junot Díaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao 'Strikingly imaginative... unlike anything I've ever read, rich with pinpoint emotional insight and fierce, vivid observations about a future that's already our past' Elan Mastai, author of All Our Wrong Todays ********** THEIR STORY BEGINS WITH A GOODBYE. Polly and Frank are young and in love, a lifetime together before them. But one evening in 1980, as the Texas sun sets over their shoulders, the world is suddenly pulled apart by a deadly virus. Within months, Frank is dying. Polly can save him, but only if she agrees to a radical plan: to time travel to 1993 for a corporation who can fund his life-saving treatment. She can only go forward, she cannot go back. And she must leave everything she loves behind, including Frank. All they have is the promise of a future together: they will find each other again in twelve years' time, in Galveston, Texas, where the sea begins. But when something goes wrong and Polly arrives late, Frank is nowhere to be found. Completely alone, Polly must navigate a terrifying new world to find him, and to discover if their love has endured. An Ocean of Minutes is a devastating and timely novel about courage, yearning, the cost of holding onto the past - and the price of letting it go. *********** 'A profound meditation on the inhumanity of class and the limits of love...This is a story about the malleability of time, but at its core lives something timeless' Omar El Akkad, author of American War 'A buoyant, compelling tale ranging from the everyday beauty of falling in love to a frightening vision of a dystopian present day... boundless and dynamic' Jennie Melamed, author of Gather the Daughters 'An Ocean of Minutes offers that rare combination of a provocative speculative setting, masterfully elegant writing, and a story that moves and haunts long after the last page' David Chariandy, author of Brother

An Ocean of Minutes

Sarah Sammis

When a deadly flu pandemic threatens America, Polly must risk it all to save the man she loves... Polly and Frank are young and in love, a lifetime together before them. But one evening in 1980, as the Texas sun sets over their shoulders, the world is suddenly pulled apart by a deadly virus. Within months, Frank is dying. Polly can save him, but only if she agrees to a radical plan: to time travel to 1993 for a corporation who can fund his life-saving treatment. She can only go forward, she cannot go back. And she must leave everything she loves behind, including Frank. All they have is the promise of a future together: they will find each other again in twelve years' time, in Galveston, Texas, where the sea begins. But when something goes wrong and Polly arrives late, Frank is nowhere to be found. Completely alone, Polly must navigate a terrifying new world to find him, and to discover if their love has endured. A heartbreaking and timely novel about courage, yearning, the cost of holding onto the past - and the price of letting it go. SHORTLISTED FOR THE GILLER PRIZE 2018 'An Ocean of Minutes is that rare thing - a speculative novel that is as heartfelt as it is philosophical. An original and compelling novel unlike anything you'll read this year' Esi Edugyan, author of Washington Black 'The clear-eyed, evocative writing here is reminiscent of Margaret Atwood, and anyone familiar with The Handmaid's Tale will find resonance in these pages... a devastating debut' Toronto Star 'An Ocean Of Minutes absolutely swept me away' Red Magazine 'A profound meditation on the inhumanity of class and the limits of love... This is a story about the malleability of time, but at its core lives something timeless' Omar El Akkad, author of American War

Eva Ströberg

An Ocean of Minutes - Thea Lim
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Time travel, what would you do if it’s possible?
In 1981 Texas, Polly Nader signed up to go to 1993, not out of adventure and curiosity, but because she wanted to help her dying boyfriend Frank Merino who was suffering from deadly flu 
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TimeRaiser, the company who built the time machine in the future said that the future was bleak, the flu killed the majority of Americans, so they needed to import workers from the past.
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In exchange for the labor done in the future, the family member left behind would receive medical care. Frank and Polly promised to meet by a landmark in Galveston, every Saturday in September, only a month later for her, but 12 years later for Frank.
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Would things be the same after you’ve been separated for years? Can you carry on, resuming your relationship as if it was like on a short break? 
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There’s not so much sci-fi in this book, but more of story about relationship between two person who divided by time.
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#thealim #anoceanofminutes #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #2024readingchallenge #2024reads #currentlyreading y

AN INDIE NEXT PICK! A “Best Book of 2018” —Real Simple “Lim’s steady prose and deft character development ensured that I was hooked on Polly’s story from beginning to end. [F]ull of fascinating social commentary on class differences, racism and sexism...it’s easy to fall into this novel and become emotionally involved in Polly’s journey and her search to find the people she loves.” —Los Angeles Times In the vein of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Station Eleven, a sweeping literary love story about two people who are at once mere weeks and many years apart. America is in the grip of a deadly flu pandemic. When Frank catches the virus, his girlfriend Polly will do whatever it takes to save him, even if it means risking everything. She agrees to a radical plan—time travel has been invented in the future to thwart the virus. If she signs up for a one-way-trip into the future to work as a bonded laborer, the company will pay for the life-saving treatment Frank needs. Polly promises to meet Frank again in Galveston, Texas, where she will arrive in twelve years. But when Polly is re-routed an extra five years into the future, Frank is nowhere to be found. Alone in a changed and divided America, with no status and no money, Polly must navigate a new life and find a way to locate Frank, to discover if he is alive, and if their love has endured. An Ocean of Minutes is a gorgeous and heartbreaking story about the endurance and complexity of human relationships and the cost of holding onto the past—and the price of letting it go.

A Novel

Ryan Mateyk

Bummer, dude.

Beautiful writing, incredibly original concept, emotional characters, all wrapped up around the concept of how far we go for those we love. Amazing amazing amazing. Also shout out Buffalo... wassup Allen.

Bria

I love the concept but this was incredibly boring to me.

Like a mixture of La Jetée (more so than 12 Monkeys), Monsters (with influenza being the monster instead of cthulhuoid monsters), Make Room! Make Room! (more so than Soylent Green), and some others I'm blanking on.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2019/comm...

Orphan	Uhoria	Offroad	FFCC66

A shortlisted finalist for the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize and the ALA 2019 Reading List for Science Fiction “Thea Lim’s An Ocean of Minutes is that rare thing—a speculative novel that is as heartfelt as it is philosophical. In lucid prose, Lim lays bare the complexities of migration and displacement, while offering a clear-eyed meditation on the elusive nature of human devotion.” —Esi Edugyan, Man Booker Prize Finalist and author of Washington Black “Lim paints a strange and unfamiliar world with her novel, full of fascinating social commentary on class differences, racism, and sexism.” —The Los Angeles Times In September 1981, Polly and Frank arrive at the time travel terminal at Houston Intercontinental Airport. One will travel, and one will stay. America is in the grip of a deadly flu pandemic. Frank has caught the virus and Polly will do whatever it takes to save him, even if it means risking everything. So she agrees to a radical plan—time travel has been invented in the future to thwart the virus. If she signs up for a one-way-trip into the future to work as a bonded laborer, the company will pay for the life-saving treatment Frank needs. Polly promises to meet Frank again in Galveston, Texas, where she will arrive in twelve years. But when Polly is re-routed an extra five years into the future, Frank is nowhere to be found. Alone in a changed and divided America, with no status and no money, Polly must navigate a new life and find a way to locate Frank, to discover if he is alive, and if their love has endured. “Lim’s enthralling novel succeeds on every level: as a love story, an imaginative thriller, and a dystopian narrative” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

Amy Thomson

The writing was good so I’ll give the novel that but MY GOD what is with the storyline?! It has none. Polly is a completely bland character who done absolutely nothing to mend her situation aside from pine after some pretty shoddy romance and in doing so neglects any inkling of personality. I had to read until the end to see if something, anything, positive and redeeming would happen. This has to win worst read of 2020.

Sameer Vasta

I’ve been reading a lot about the AIDS crisis from the 1980s, and how, in face of a lack of interest or support or even basic compassion from lawmakers and people in power, people had to make incredible sacrifices to try to save the people they loved. I thought a lot about that time when I read this novel: what would I sacrifice to ensure that someone I love could survive? Would I sacrifice my ability to ever see them again, sacrifice our happiness together in service of their health and life? These are the questions people had to grapple with in the 1980s; these are the questions I wish we could have grappled with more in the novel.

Renee Blankenship

Thank you Touchstone Books for my free review copy of An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim. All opinions are my own. 

I went into reading An Ocean of Minutes excited by the references to The Time Travelers Wife and Station Eleven because both are stories I read and loved (although I find them to be vastly different in nature from each other). Regardless, I was beyond excited to read this story knowing how much I loved both of those books.

What I didn't expect while reading this book was how stressed and anxious the story made me. As the present day story progressed I started to really feel like I was right there with Polly. Her feelings and actions felt so real as well as the setting itself. I felt stifled in the Texas heat and lost on the streets of Buffalo right alongside her. Which is honestly one of my favorite things about reading...when a story is so well written that I feel like Im living it too. As much as Polly's story isn't maybe the most exciting or happiest, I didn't feel like any part of it fell flat. The alternating chapters that show us how Polly and Frank fell in love felt equally as real. No relationship is perfect and their highs and lows as a couple made Polly's decision all the more important. This debut was beautifully written and I cannot wait to read more by Thea Lim! 

My favorite quote of the book, one that Im still thinking of as the summer wanes away is this one: 
"Somewhere a great epiphany broke forth; there's only ever going to be one one very day; there will be other days, but they won't be this day."

If you want a love story woven within a story about loss and finding your way home then I highly recommend this book! I really loved it.

Ana Couto

I had such high hopes for this book, but it just didn’t live up to my expectations. It wasn’t terrible by any means, but definitely not a must-read. Without giving away too many spoilers, the author sets up the narrative to be an epic love story (it starts off really well), but it ultimately ends in disappointment. Or maybe I was just craving a book with a happier ending.

Francine Corry

Joyce

Molly M

Andréa Mellalieu

Stephanie Highfield 

Tara Harder

Fraser Simons

Sierra Bradley

Mackenzie Bruce

Mandi Jayne

THEA. LIM

A devastating and timely novel about courage, yearning, the cost of holding onto the past - and the price of letting it go. 'The clear-eyed, evocative writing here is reminiscent of Margaret Atwood, and anyone familiar with The Handmaid's Tale will find resonance in these pages... a devastating debut' Toronto Star 'An Ocean Of Minutes absolutely swept me away' Red Magazine Polly and Frank are young and in love, a lifetime together before them. But one evening in 1980, as the Texas sun sets over their shoulders, the world is suddenly pulled apart by a deadly virus. Within months, Frank is dying. Polly can save him, but only if she agrees to a radical plan: to time travel to 1993 for a corporation who can fund his life-saving treatment. She can only go forward, she cannot go back. And she must leave everything she loves behind, including Frank. All they have is the promise of a future together: they will find each other again in twelve years' time, in Galveston, Texas, where the sea begins. But when something goes wrong and Polly arrives late, Frank is nowhere to be found. Completely alone, Polly must navigate a terrifying new world to find him, and to discover if their love has endured. 'A profound meditation on the inhumanity of class and the limits of love... This is a story about the malleability of time, but at its core lives something timeless' Omar El Akkad, author of American War 'Strikingly imaginative... unlike anything I've ever read, rich with pinpoint emotional insight and fierce, vivid observations about a future that's already our past' Elan Mastai, author of All Our Wrong Todays 'A buoyant, compelling tale ranging from the everyday beauty of falling in love to a frightening vision of a dystopian present day... boundless and dynamic' Jennie Melamed, author of Gather the Daughters 'An Ocean of Minutes offers that rare combination of a provocative speculative setting, masterfully elegant writing, and a story that moves and haunts long after the last page' David Chariandy, author of Brother

Sarah Sammis &
An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim

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