The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

This one was on sale at a steal of a price. It was not my most responsible purchase, as I could not really claim to have been even remotely interested in it - with the exception of the fact that a lot of people had really raved about it. Even that though does not necessarily mean that I am going to enjoy a book. But... I am SO happy I actually did get this. It was brilliant.

When Harry August dies, he is reborn - to the exact same point in time where he originally started, again and again and ... you get the idea. At the end of his eleventh life, he learns that the end of the world is coming sooner.

What a ride. I know the pacing is a bit slow in the beginning, but it is worth it. Everything comes together to make a very well thought out and very well crafted story. I must admit that the big reason I was not interested in this was that I thought it was a YA novel. It is definitely NOT YA. I also enjoyed how Claire North a.k.a Catherine Webb handled what could have been a very confusing and repetitive timeline. The story is not linear, but there are no points where the reader is left unsure of what or when the event is happening.

“For progress, we have eaten our souls up, and nothing matters anymore.”

― Claire North, The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

The writing was enjoyable. I prefer reading books where I feel the author is intelligent - and this book ticked that box for me. I loved the philosophy and enjoyed the science. The dialogue between certain characters brought me back to my student days of sitting chatting philosophy with more enthusiasm than it probably required.

Perhaps not a book for impatient readers, but a good book for those who don't mind a slower start.

I gave this 5 stars on Goodreads