Under Story by Chloe Benjamin review – A once-in-a-lifetime read

Under Story by Chloe Benjamin: The review

Chloe Benjamin is an incredibly talented writer, and being able to create a world as rich and mind-bending as the one in Under Story really shows that. This is a heavy read, one bogged down in scientific exposition and physics concepts that sometimes went over my head, and still, I couldn’t stop reading.

Few books have taken me as long to read as Under Story, but that’s because I found myself so immersed in its story that I’ve savoured every word. I’ve read slowly and carefully to make sure I’ve understood as much as possible: this isn’t a book for skim-reading, so if you don’t want to get fully engrossed in a fascinating duoverse, look away now.

This is the story of Laurel and Eli. After suffering an unimaginable heartbreak, Laurel gives up her job as a mycologist to go and work as a porter in an Antarctic research base. While she’s there, she’s surprised to see her ex-husband, Eli. Even more surprising is what’s known as the ‘Arc’; a mysterious glowing dome of light visible from the base.

Laurel and Eli both believe in the possibility of another universe, and somehow, Laurel is convinced that the Arc is the answer. And if she can only get there, maybe she can undo the heartbreak that’s plagued her for the last several years of her life. It could be the answer to everything.

Yes, Under Story is very much science fiction, but this is the type of sci-fi I love; one that’s steeped in realism, told of average people, and one that doesn’t require much suspension of disbelief to get your head around. OK, some of the rules of the “anti-universe” had me scratching my head – and I have a page of notes full of questions – but that’s the joy of physics. It’s sometimes inconceivable, even within the rules of our own world. Benjamin has done an incredible job of creating a whole new world, one that we learn along with Laurel and Eli, one that amazes, fascinates and disturbs time and time again.

But beyond its sci-fi roots, Under Story is also a tale of love, of grief, of humanity. It’s a tale of the Earth and its struggles, a story that will make you think about the planet and how we can do better to protect it. It’s about family, connections, life and death, and it’ll make you look at life in a whole new way. That’s the beauty of it, really: it takes everything we know about the world and turns it on its head, quite literally. The result is something quite remarkable, and a story I will be thinking about probably forever.

With thanks to the publisher, Tinder Press, for providing me with a proof copy for the purposes of this review.