To tell or not to tell, to tell or not to tell?...
It's hard to write about this book without spoilers. There is only one storyline, but a huge number of events, and retelling them would rob readers of the intrigue. In my son's and my opinion, the publisher's blurb already gives away too much, so I won't go any deeper into the plot — instead I'll write about the spirit of this novel (and in length it really is a novel, not a novella: enough for a week of reading).
So, as the publisher has let slip anyway, seventh-grader Matvey falls out of his own probability and into another one, getting the fantastic opportunity to compare two lives: with himself and without himself. He sees how his absence or presence affects his loved ones and classmates.
This book is about how we choose our own lives. Of course, unforeseen circumstances do happen sometimes, and no one can control everything, but our will and reason and our attitude toward life play anything but a minor role. Chance and free choice go hand in hand and together weave the fabric of fate. Only we decide whether to let something new into our lives or to seal ourselves up in a Groundhog Day, just so no one bothers us. It is up to us alone whether we spend our days within four walls, staring at a screen, or connect with people and take the initiative.
This book is also about how the events in a person's life are interconnected. Together with the hero, readers will see that sharp turns in life don't always lead to bad outcomes, and that any event can echo later in the most unexpected — sometimes wonderful — way. For example, ending up in hospital is nothing good, it would seem, but on the other hand, what if that accident brings you together with the right people, who change your life for the better? You never know where the road will lead... Oh, and speaking of people. Teenagers often feel that they are surrounded by fools and losers and that they alone are above it all — well, colliding with someone else's harsh reality can be rough, but it has a therapeutic effect.
To sum up: this is an intricately plotted story with a simple moral — try to do what is within your power, be kinder to people, and love life.
The book is very interesting and keeps you in suspense from beginning to end, although Viktoria Lederman's books about children who slip into other worlds are admittedly a bit too similar to one another. If you've already read "The Mayan Calendar", "Geshka the Pet" or "The Svetlikovs-Tuchkins", then "The Theory of Improbabilities" will remind you of them strongly.
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