Questions of Perspective by Daniel Maunz
5 of 5 stars
Book Blurb:
No one knew it at the time, but April 19, 2011, was the most important day in the history of the world.
After his only friend and colleague, John Manta, disappears without a word, Dave Randall further entrenches himself in the humdrum life of an unenthusiastic lawyer. But once he begins to understand what happened, he embarks on a journey to uncover the deeper meanings and implications of John’s fate.
Accompanied by Peaches the cat, Dave uproots his life and reinvents himself in the midst of his search. Along the way, he is haunted by his piecemeal understanding of John’s fate and what it means for his existence. Little does Dave know, his journey of self-discovery will have ramifications that extend far beyond the borders of his own little life.
Book Review:
Although classified as a paranormal fantasy, I personally am unable to categorize this book at all. It covers spirituality, law, psychology, theology, the question of free will, the seemingly random occurrences that affect humanity, and so much more. It spans so far and wide, and does so beautifully.
Once in a while, a book comes into my life that I feel like a better person for having read it. As a book blogger, I get the chance to discover so many new books, and books like this one make me love the fact that I love books.
Our protagonist and narrator, Dave, is an all-round good human being. His friend, John, suddenly disappears, and over time, Dave starts to question a lot of things about life as a whole. These two main characters (plus the cat, Peaches!) are extremely real, well-written and well-rounded.
As the title says, it gave me as a reader a lot of new perspectives as well. The prose felt so beautifully lyrical at times that I re-read entire sections and paragraphs. This is a book that deserves to be read slowly. I took my time savoring this book, and it was a pleasure doing it. I must admit, some instances and situations in the book were so fast paced that I read through those parts quite quickly because I just had to know what happened next. After that, I’d slow down, and go back and re-read that same narrative again. Often going back many pages. It was that beautiful.
The narrative in itself was exceptional, and the story draws you in. So many different ways to see things, so many ways to empathize, identify, help, and know yourself as a person were shown in this book. Both the protagonists grew so much over the course of the book, and it was a joy to see the process unfold. Maunz is an exceptional writer and I look forward to reading his future works.
This is a book I will keep coming back to and re-reading often, over the years. I’m so glad I got the read the ARC, and I have no doubt that this book will find a great audience on release.
