Book Review: The Coincidence Makers by Yoav Blum

OH. MY. GOODNESS. What a lovely, lyrical story this was, and what a talent Blum possesses! This book was such an absolutely beautifully and delicately crafted tale (even more so than the evocative cover!) – I didn’t even realize how much so until near the end, when the purpose of all the coincidences finally became clear. (I can’t say more because it would be a huge spoiler, but trust me.)

It’s funny – with some books, the review writes itself. Either the plot or characters pour themselves out in such a way that they are easy to encapsulate with words. I’ve found this to be true with books that I really enjoy and ones that I don’t. But then sometimes, the review is tough – and this is, oddly, also true with books I enjoy as well as those I don’t. Sometimes, especially those I like.

I think it’s because there’s magic in great stories, and sometimes that magic defies explanation. I try to explain the plot or characters that so captured my imagination and find that the words I use fall flat or, worse, sound banal or cliched or hackneyed. That’s what happened here – everything I wrote to try and describe the magical glittering glory of this perfect, poignant, construction of Blum’s read like weak, watered-down tea. The words felt listless and full of ennui, like the story itself was actively refusing to allow itself to be captured, like the magic could only be experienced firsthand.

And maybe that’s what it is. This was One of Those Books that you read and enjoy on one level, as a pure construct of fiction, while at the same time word-worms wriggle their way into other, less conscious, levels of your mind – the levels that consider Big Things like destiny and purpose and the whys and wherefores that make life so damnably, confoundingly, phenomenally, indescribably intriguing. That’s why you should read it. Because it’s beautifully crafted and full of glorious ideas and bursts of language. Because it’ll make you smile one one page and make your face fall on the next. Because it’s thought-provoking and original and also – coincidentally – fun. Because it’s a way of viewing the world that tries to make sense of the nonsensical, seemingly whimsical everyday-ness of life. But ultimately, and most importantly, because it’s just grand storytelling.

My review copy was provided by NetGalley.