In Universes: A Novel

By: Emet North

Raffi works in an observational cosmology lab, searching for dark matter and trying to hide how little they understand their own research. Every chance they get, they escape to see Britt, a queer sculptor who fascinates them for reasons they also can’t—or won’t—understand. Despite years of professors scoffing at the link between the many-words interpretation of quantum mechanics and alternative lives, Raffi can’t help but dream of a universe where they mean as much to Britt as Britt does to them. And just like that, Raffi and Britt are thirteen years old, best friends and maybe something more… 

In Universes is a mind-bending tour across parallel worlds, each an answer to the question of what Raffi’s life would be like if things had happened just a little differently. Across lives Raffi—alongside their sometimes-friends, sometimes-lovers Britt, Kay, and Graham—reaches for a life that feels authentically their own.

The universes grow increasingly strange. Women fracture into hordes of animals, alien-possessed bears prowl apocalyptic landscapes. But Raffi’s divergent existences all lead back to the summer of Britt: the terrible thing Raffi did and the guilt that continues to chase them across realities.

Blending realism with science fiction, In Universes explores the thirst for genius, the fluidity of gender and identity, and the desire to lead a meaningful life. Part Ted Chiang, part Carmen Maria Machado, part Everything Everywhere All At Once, In Universes insists on the transgressive power of hope even in the darkest of times.