A companion book to the bestseller, You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao, You’ve Found Oliver follows the story of Sam’s best friend. Almost a year has passed since Oliver lost Sam and he’s still grieving. As part of this grieving process, Oliver finds comfort in sending text messages to Sam’s old number. Unexpectedly, one day someone responds and Oliver realizes that his texts have been reaching Ben, a college student just like him.
Oliver and Ben commence a correspondence that progresses from friendship into something more. Something more that becomes a bit of an impossibility when they both realize that they’re not exactly living in the same time zone. Even though they both realize that they may be forced to say goodbye, they decide to build on their relationship for as long as they have it.
Through Oliver and Ben’s interests the book also examines introductory themes in astronomy, physics, and philosophy. One of Oliver’s favorite classes focuses heavily on a book titled The Poetics of Space which invites Oliver to examine how time affects the spaces he inhabits and whether time is linear or not. In conjunction with Ben’s musings on black holes and how they affect the space around them, both characters are forced to open their minds to the complexities and mysteries of the universe. Oliver also learns that although some things may be unexplainable, they still exert forces over his life and leave lasting consequences. Every action has a reaction, and changing one small thing has a ripple effect through time and space.
Readers who enjoy the multiverse and time travel will enjoy the concepts in this book. The tone of this book is melancholic but comforting. Oliver and Ben are kind characters that the readers can easily support and root for.
- Liliana