Review of Eternity

[Mimi Bui]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Eternity" by Carlos.]

---

3 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Eternity is a magical realism romance that follows two best friends experiencing life with an isolating mindset until their paths cross in a more intimate connection. The book is written in a third-person narrative, where the characters are identified by pronouns instead of names. This was a new and refreshing approach that the author chose as it allows the reader to experience the characters without the biases of their names, backstories, or physical qualities; this also allows the reader to create their own versions of the main protagonists.

Eternity is a 3 out of 5 stars. The first three-quarters of the book had a slow storyline and plot. It was difficult to follow and continue reading because the book was mainly about the negative and weary mundane routines and thoughts of the main characters. The author used a good chunk of the book introducing the characters’ personalities and habits, which were also not uplifting as the characters were toxic. Reading about the characters and the shallow lives that they were living was discouraging and not captivating at the same time. However, the book was able to redeem itself in the last quarter of the book with major plots and character developments. Although it was grueling to get past the dreary parts of the book, the author was able to capture the readers’ attention with how the characters were able to face adversity and reset their toxic mindsets. It was fascinating to see how the beginning and end of Eternity were absolute opposites of each other, as the protagonists experienced life-changing events that rewired both their mindsets and personalities.

Overall, Eternity is an average book as it is only captivating and interesting near the end. The book was mostly slow-paced and mundane which made it difficult to read, as it required a lot of patience and effort to continue reading. It would have been helpful if the author had not jumped around in the characters’ perspectives so often, as it was quite confusing to follow. The characters’ point-of-view was jumbled in many chapters, which took many re-readings to understand. However, if that was the approach that the author wanted, they could have given the characters names instead of pronouns because it would have made things more clear and organized. It’s fair to say that Eternity and its contents are not for everyone as the writing and slow plotline may be dull for some or pleasant for others; it depends on the readers’ determination of whether the journey and end are worth experiencing.

******
Eternity
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon