““It’s Only Temporary” uses the premise of the world about to end to provide the emotional stakes, rationale for a sense of horror, and plot tension to create an interesting tale of a journey to recover lost love. With a meteor about to hit Earth and nothing to prevent the loss of most life, the hero Sean has nothing to lose by being true to himself.
Eric Shapiro tells the story in first person narrative, allowing the story to catch the reader’s emotions early. By saying goodbye to mom and dad, Sean has decided that the love for parents isn’t as strong as his love for his former girlfriend Selma. Details about how other people decide to spend their last days add color to the story and provide the villainy to create conflict in Sean’s life. Unusual characters that Sean encounters both good and bad are well-portrayed. Sean is a likeable hero, prone to his faults—using drugs, being wrapped up in selfish desires, being angry with Selma, but acts as knight in shining armor for characters in distress. The moral toward supporting life even in the last minutes before doom is well demonstrated.
The conflict in the story is powered by Sean’s decisions. He’s challenged by the need to make decisions about life and death based on who he should trust, who aids him, who reaches out to him, and who betrays him. Well into the novel, when the problems between him and Selma are presented, you know enough about his values to understand the problem between the young lovers. You almost wonder if he’ll ever reach her.
“It’s Only Temporary” is a short novella length piece that reads quickly. Well-paced action supports the conflict oriented dialogue. There isn’t much technology in the book, it could take place at any moment in time—implying this could happen at any time in a car powered society. Survival is supported by the use of weaponry, language is explicit. Few spend their time watching the sky or planning how to survive the impact.
Events have good appeal by their unusual qualities that support the nihilism of the lost world. What saves this story from being a downer is the careful crafting that turns the piece on its head to make a statement about human life in general.
People who like good story telling, young people with a taste of urban noir, a bit of horror, and liking the extra boost that a troubled romance gives a story will like “It’s Only Temporary” a lot.
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sfharper wrote this review Sunday, January 27 2008.
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