Presentism: only what exists in the present exists at all. Yash lives in the moment. Eternalism: everything that is, has been, and will be exists right now and forever. Jordon lives in the eternal. An impossible love story, two people bound together.
Yash loves whoever is in front of him with total commitment. When Sam is in crisis, Yash is there, completely and totally. When he is at work, he is fully there, so his boss loves him. Children are drawn to him and bask in his unconditional love. Jordan has never had a lover like Yash. Their time in Paris is magical. Jordan plays the long game. When Yash doesn’t follow the plan, she doesn’t forgive him. When she has a child that doesn’t fit into the plan, she puts that child up for adoption. She marries Silas, and they have two children and a house according to their plan. Yet, when Yash is on his deathbed, Jordan returns to him. The reader is asked to mourn these lovers who could never be together.
Jordan has always had goals: to be a writer, a mother, a lover. She succeeds without finding happiness. Her eldest son has a tumor in his brain, certainly not in the plan. She reconciles with Yash. Absolutely not in the plan. Yash is surrounded by people who love him: family, people from work, acquaintances, Sam from college, but no plan. It is not enough.
This book explores two ways to be in the world. Jordan swims up the river with all her strength and energy. She does not let anything slow her down. When Sam abandons her, she moves to Yash. Without Yash, she puts their child up for adoption and bravely embarks on another path. When eldest son Jack gets a brain tumor, she finds the best doctors. In the end, she has a glimpse of Yash’s way. Yash is selfless, floating with the current, loving the currents that love him in return. When he is on his deathbed, he catches a glimpse of Jordan’s way.
I found this to be a fundamentally sad book.
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for Omega Cat Press books and book recommendations.
