THE IMPOSSIBLE US

Two lovers struggle with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle—they’re living in parallel universes.

When Nick, a down-on-his-luck ghostwriter, sends out a profanity-laced email to a client who hasn’t paid him, he doesn’t expect to end up connecting with his dream girl. But that’s exactly what happens when he sends his email to the wrong person and Bee, who runs a business repurposing wedding dresses, ends up the recipient of his angry missive. In what seems like the start of a conventional romantic comedy, the two of them keep their conversation going and discover that they actually have quite a lot in common. But when they decide to meet in person, it becomes clear that theirs is no simple love affair. Even while standing at the same train station, they can’t see each other. They soon find out the reason: they’re living in different universes. In Bee’s world, Brexit happened, Donald Trump was president, and climate change is a massive threat. In Nick’s world, Al Gore was president for two terms, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 never occurred, and the government has enforced widespread environmental rules, like completely banning plastic, that curbed climate change to a manageable level. Unable to communicate in any way but email, Bee and Nick decide to find each other in their own universes—but when Bee meets her timeline’s Nick and Nick locates his timeline’s Bee, things get complicated. Lotz takes what could be a confusing concept and makes it fun, heartbreaking, and eminently readable all at once. Bee and Nick’s emails are witty and romantic, while their supporting characters are entertaining in both worlds. Lotz manages to combine romance and science fiction into a book that will produce laughter and tears. Readers will find themselves wondering how, or if, Bee and Nick will end up together until the very last pages.

A thought-provoking and clever genre-bending blend of romance and science fiction.