Publisher's Weekly Review
Israeli author Blum makes his English-language debut with a clever mix of fantasy and mystery that supposes that some coincidences-the important ones-are arranged by the minions of an undefined almost-all-knowing agency. Past coincidence makers have been responsible for, among other things, the success of the Normandy invasion and the discovery of penicillin and X-rays. Guy and Emily are newly minted coincidence makers, promoted from the ranks of imaginary friends, living in apartments in a dreamlike locale. When they complete a coincidence, their next assignment arrives in an envelope slipped under their respective doors. One of Guy's first assignments is "to cause a particular employee at a shoe factory to lose his job," so the man, unaware that he's a brilliant composer, can discover his talent for music. Emily has a great secret that she can't share and is deeply in love with Guy. She arranges a complex coincidence to cause him to fall in love with her, but it fails. Meanwhile, Guy receives an assignment to concoct a coincidence that could profoundly change their lives. Blum rides the delicate balance between the world of the truly unbelievable and the universe you can see if you squint your eyes just right. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* A best-selling author in his native Israel, Blum debuts in the U.S. with this novel, a fanciful tale exploring life's deepest questions about chance, fate, and free will. Eric, Emily, and Guy are young coincidence makers, recently trained specialists in arranging the affairs of strangers, usually in their favor, by studying their biographies and daily routines enough to discreetly prod them towards fortuitously timed accidents or life-changing encounters. One day, Guy, whose recent missions have so far heavily favored elaborate matchmaking schemes, receives an ominous new assignment from a senior black ops coincidence maker, Pierre. Pierre needs Guy's help to ensure that a hit-man's designated target dies a little sooner than he's supposed to, putting Guy in a moral quandary about whether to opt out and keep his hands clean or remain in the coincidence game. In the meantime, Emily and Eric are dealing with their own thorny challenges, bringing the threesome's lives precipitously closer together in unanticipated and dangerous ways. Artfully blending elements of thriller, romance, and fantasy in beautiful prose, Blum's novel is a flight of imagination that will echo in readers' minds long after the last pages have been turned.--Hays, Carl Copyright 2018 Booklist
Library Journal Review
DEBUT What if these chance events in our lives are really being engineered by someone? That's the premise of Israeli author Blum's debut novel. Eric, Emily, and Guy are Coincidence Makers, recruited and trained by the General. Many times the incidents are of the matchmaking variety and that's what Guy has specialized in the last few years. One day, he arrives for his assignment and finds that he is meeting with one of the Black Hats in coincidence making. These top-level guys create complex coincidences that lead to assassinations, coups, and other tragedies. Pierre needs Guy's help at a lower level to pull off a coincidence involving a hit man. Guy had already been questioning how long he could do this work. This new assignment plus his feelings for a fellow coincidence maker could be the beginning of the end of his career. VERDICT Blum's clever, original piece of speculative fiction may appeal to fans of Alice Hoffman and Paulo Coehlo. Readers who enjoy new ways of thinking and alternative approaches to life will find this an engaging read. [See Prepub Alert, 10/9/17.]-Robin Nesbitt, -Columbus Metropolitan Lib., OH © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
