The Possibilities

The Possibilities

A Novel

About the Book

A new mother ventures into parallel worlds to find her missing child in this mind-bending novel that turns the joys and anxieties of parenthood into an epic quest.

“A bravura, unforgettable performance.”—Namwali Serpell, author of The Furrows

What if the life you didn’t live was as real as the one you did?

Hannah is having a bad day. A bad month. A bad year? That feels terrible to admit, since her son Jack was born just eight months ago and she loves him more than anything. But ever since his harrowing birth, she can’t shake the feeling that it could have gone the other way. That her baby might not have made it. Terrifying visions of the different paths her life could have taken begin to disrupt her cozy, claustrophobic days with Jack, destabilizing her marriage and making her husband concerned for her mental health. Are the strange things Hannah is seeing just new-mom anxiety, or is something truly weird and sinister afoot? What if Hannah really did unlock a dark force during childbirth?

When Hannah’s worst nightmare comes true and Jack disappears from his crib, she must tap into an extraordinary ability she never knew she had in order to save him: She must enter different versions of her life while holding on to what is most important to her in this one to bring her child back home.

From the intimate joys of parenthood to the cosmic awe of the multiverse, The Possibilities is an ingenious and wildly suspenseful novel that stares down into the dizzying depths of maternal love, vulnerability, and strength.
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Praise for The Possibilities

The Possibilities had me intrigued, then gripped, and by its end, greatly moved by its exploration of the quite literally existential stakes of loving another person. Within hours of finishing this novel, I found myself quoting it in conversation. . . . A bravura, unforgettable performance.”—Namwali Serpell, author of The Furrows

“Unpredictable and a page-turner, equal parts passion and philosophy, The Possibilities is the tense and twisty tale of an imperiled child, a crumbling marriage, and the desperate woman who is trying to save them both.”—Karen Joy Fowler, author of Booth

“At once a profoundly insightful exploration of motherhood in all its joys and sorrows and the best kind of speculative fiction . . . The combination will bend your mind and your heart.”—Ayelet Waldman, author of A Really Good Day

The Possibilities hooked me immediately with its ingenious premise and a story so suspenseful that I had no choice but to ignore everything else to read to its stunning conclusion. But more than being compelled by the novel’s plot, I was moved and ignited by its profound ideas: that the enormous responsibility of being a parent is at once beautiful and terrifying, and that in order to understand ourselves as parents, we each must also grasp and puzzle out our complicated, painful past. Yael Goldstein-Love is an enormous talent.”—Edan Lepucki, author of Woman No. 17

“A unique and clever mash-up of science fiction and relationship fiction, this compelling novel explores the joys and fears of being a parent. . . . Imagine if The Push by Ashley Audrain, met Recursion by Blake Crouch, with a sprinkling of This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub.”Booklist

“Part thriller, part psychology, part quantum physics—all fun.”—Kirkus Reviews

“[This engaging novel] blends an intimate view of new motherhood with an ingenious story of a multiverse. . . . The author plumbs the depths of her protagonist’s conflicted emotions, showing how Hannah is split between a desire to preserve her sense of self before [her son] and the pull to give herself over to her new identity as a mother. The result is a memorable story about the limits of a parent’s ability to protect their child from harm.”Publishers Weekly
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About the Author

Yael Goldstein-Love
Yael Goldstein-Love is the author of The Passion of Tasha Darsky and the co-founder of the literary studio PlymptonShe also practices psychotherapy with a particular interest in the transition to parenthood and is working toward her doctorate in clinical psychology. She lives with her son in Berkeley, California. More by Yael Goldstein-Love
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