Review: ‘How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe’ Is Fantastically Original and Surprisingly Tender
Belinda Huang ’17 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Charles Yu, named as one of the National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35,” published this debut novel in 2010 with Pantheon House. With this book, Yu crafts a story with all the trappings of a science fiction novel but with the heart of a father and son separated by time, space, and the immigrant’s struggle. Set in Minor Universe 31, a half-broken place where time doesn’t always function and Hans Solo’s son is constantly getting in trouble, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe is a self-referential treasure trove of mathematical vocabulary and surprising insight.
The story is told from the point of view of a time machine repairman, also named Charles Yu, who lives inside his own time machine in a state of permanent indifference, left to ruminate on the shambles of his family life and his slowly fading childhood. A surprise encounter with himself, however, forces him out of his detachment into the true events of the novel, including a twisty paradox, a visit to a physical manifestation of Nirvana (the Buddhist ideal, not the band), a space elevator, and finally a trip back in his own time stream. Meanwhile, the “How To” guide for time travelers that Yu’s character writes unfolds simultaneously, with chapters interspersed with the main story.
Yu’s blend of science fiction and story telling has echoes of Douglas Adams’ writing- even the “How To” title is reminiscent of Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and TAMMY, the onboard computer with more human bursts of emotion than her user, reminds the reader of Marvin the Paranoid Android. How to Live Safely is just as enjoyable and easy to love as Adams’ classic, but even better, it somehow manages to create an intimate world of emotion and possibility, despite the scope of time and space in which it works.
It’s Yu’s inventive and original voice that makes How to Live Safely a delight to read and digest, despite how complicated the plot and conceit might seem. Yu’s deft hand with both technical language and narrative device is pulled together by a delicate dose of whimsy that prevents the story from getting too bogged down. In the end, it is the earnest mix of narrative and machinery, driven by all-too-human hopes and desires, that makes the novel so compelling.
Hilarious, poignant, and wrapped in a serious layer of meta, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe proves that no matter how hard you try to manipulate your timeline, there’s one thing you can’t escape—and that’s yourself.