An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes

by Randy Ribay

[Angie]

An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes was just the geeky, funny, heart-warming, friendship tale I was seeking! Archie, Mari, Dante, and Sam have been friends since sixth grade when they bonded over Dungeons & Dragons. Now, it's the summer before their senior year and each of them is going through something. At first, they're all dealing alone, but then an impromptu roadtrip brings them all together for a trip they'll never forget.

I really liked the format that An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes is written in. There's five sections, with the first four being the week leading up to the road trip, and the fifth is the actual trip. Of course, four sections means each of the friends gets one, which was a great way to get to know them. Even though it does cover the same time frame, it's not repetitive at all. We see their individual problems as they develop, and when they are together, we see something different and gaps are filled in.

An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes touches on a lot of important topics. Archie is dealing with the fallout of his parents' divorce. He's being forced to move with his dad, which at first seems like he just doesn't want to start over at a new school. But then we learn that Archie is struggling with the fact that his father is gay. He's not homophobic, but he isn't quite sure how he feels about it. Mari learns that her mom has cancer, and she wants her to reach out to her birth mother. Mari doesn't want to worry about some strange woman when the woman who raised her could be dying! Dante is gay and his family is upset about it because they're religious and hoping to pray the gay away. Then Sam's girlfriend suddenly moves and dumps him, and he is not handling it well at all. In fact, the road trip is his idea to win her back! Lots of stuff going on.

The road trip portion was a lot of fun. The group gets up to lots of hijinks which I won't spoil for you! It's not all fun and games though. They do have some heart-to-hearts as their issues come to light. There is a scene near the end with Dante that nearly gave me a heart attack! I seriously let out a breath that I didn't know I had been holding.

I really enjoyed An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes. There's friendship, and I love friendship! There's family issues, relationship issues, coming out issues, and it all just worked without feeling overwhelming. I do wish there had been more at the end though. I'm happy for a happy ending, but I would have liked to have known how everything worked out when they got home, especially for Dante and his grandparents.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.