Alone With You In The Ether by Olivie Blake Review

I initially picked up Alone with you in the Ether as I have read Blake’s other book The Atlas Six and really enjoyed myself and am set to read its sequel The Atlas Paradox (I'm really delayed in posting this review but I have since read The Atlas Paradox and pre-ordered the final instalment) . I love her writing style and the characters she creates. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t aware of the hype surrounding the book - as much as I want to venture into BookTok territory, I’m lazy and my FYP algorithm consists of cats, knitting and Valorant clips so I instantly fall into a rabbit hole.

Writing I wasn’t too keen on the formatting inconsistencies. Maybe I just enjoy one type, maybe my brain is a little ‘dumb’, but the dialogue switches from direct speech in one section, to free indirect speech in another really, boggled me at times and just felt unnecessary(?)

The first chapter included almost stage play directions/descriptions and Narrator inputs, that completely disappeared and seemed almost irrelevant? Maybe the change in narrative styles was intentional but I cannot definitively say that is the case.

I like the conversations that were had, well more the themes of conversation - bees, hexagons, mathematical theories, art, etc, etc. But I did find toward the tail end of the book, a lot of focus was on sex and how its the solution for most problems or that it is a good distraction for most problems (it really isn’t, but you didn’t need me to tell you that)

I understand why some people consider this book a little pretentious - believe me at times I agreed. It took me a solid week and a half to push through the first 60ish pages to get into the book, because I kept feeling overwhelmed(?) I described it to one of my friends as the ‘wannabe edgy kid in college’.

Characters I really connected with aspects of both characters and could really see and understand their perspectives. I’ve been Regan, unable to determine who I am in this world, where I stand and what will I be. In a tailwind of my mental health’s whims - not sure whether I control it or it controls me and determines who I am. I’ve also been Aldo, very poignant at times, and limiting my scope to equations, variables and regiments.

I can understand and empathise that medication isn’t a fix to everyone, I also understand it can be for some.

Aldo’s papa is just, yes. I love him, his understanding of his son and his love for him. I love strong, emotionally connected male roles in stories. I really appreciated that he offered his opinion but also allowed Aldo to explore, make mistakes and understood where he could step back towards the end. Unlike her parents, that genuinely wanted to make me tear my hair out. Marc can just fuck off IMHO 🙂

Worldbuilding I feel like a lot of the book to place in a bubble surrounding the 2 MCs. We saw an in depth view to only certain places that were integral to understanding the characters, but beside that no additional world building. I feel that was intentional as this book is a story about them and the places that mean anything for them.

Conclusion The main reason I gave this book 3.5 stars was mainly due to how I felt about the narrative styling, the dialogue switches, and overwhelming focus on sex fixes things. This book however, did have some amazing writing at times, some phenomenal quotes I have marked down, and some really loveable characters (Aldo’s dad. I love you. Big Fan).

I would recommend this to someone just to open a discussion about it with them. It is interesting and at times does make you think.

Saying this, I own 3 copies of this book XD

Themes

• Mental Health

• Discussions on Suicide

• Co-Dependancy

• Self Discovery

• Love

Quotes ‘How was he feeling? He had been bad before. He would be bad again. It would cycle and fluctuate the same way the weather would.’

“You are brilliant. Tell your mind to be kind to you today”

‘His mind was like a computer with multiple applications open, some of them buzzing with contemplation in the background.’

‘There was wonder here, even if Regan no longer saw it. Even if she no longer felt it, he would feel it for both of them.’

‘He didn’t blame her for not seeing it. He blamed everyone else for letting her forget.’

‘… Art is tragedy. Art is loss. It’s the fleeting breath of a forgone moment, the intimacy of things undone, the summer season that passes.’

‘Euphoria can be bottled, it can be smoked, it will dissolve on your tongue and burn through the vacant cavity of your empty fucking chest.’

‘It is enough to have known that the inside of her chest is more than a place for storage.’

‘Can you love my brain even when it is small? When it is malevolent? When it’s violent? Can you love it when it doesn’t love me?’

‘That to love a person who was to forfeit the need to place limits on them, and therefore to love was to exist in a constant, paralyzing threat.’