How Soon Is Now? by Paul Carnahan

Troubled ex-journalist Luke Seymour discovers an untapped talent for time travel after being recruited to rescue the stricken leader of The Nostalgia Club, an eccentric band of time travellers who meet in the back room of an Edinburgh pub.

As he hones his skills and learns the stories of the Club’s members, Luke delves deeper and deeper into his own past - where the terrible mistake which scarred his life is waiting…

Review

This is insanely good for a debut novel! ‘How Soon Is Now?’ is a a poignant and empathetic look at the trials and tribulations of life, our friendships and our loves. Fans of time travel will come here for that but will leave with a sense of satisfaction from reading a complex and beautifully nuanced piece of writing. Packed full of nostalgia from the 80s and 90s - stuffy bars and clubs, the music and the relationships you form whilst at university.

When Luke finds a note in his pocket inviting him to a random pub in Edinburgh on a Wednesday night he is confused but intrigued. It says they can help and Luke is a man in need of help. What he finds is The Nostalgia Club, a group of time travellers and is told that he also has this gift. What follows is a jaunt through time and a desperate attempt to help somebody.

I like that the author has moved away from the canon of the ‘don't change time and don't meet yourself’ version of time travel as it makes for a much more interesting and introspective read. It allows the characters especially Luke to evaluate their past and right some wrongs. However, the majority of the ‘club’ has dark pasts and the author tackles some difficult topics. But it is done with a bucketload of empathy and kindness.

This is a very easy book to visualise, although it probably helped that Luke literally lives at the bottom of my street! it's the writing that makes this easy as it's accomplished but yet not overdone if you get what I mean. I devoured this in a day as I was engrossed from the get-go! This deserves all the rave reviews as its cracking.

Let me know if you pick this one up!