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First Impression: 0 to 60 by the midway point. This slow-burn novel is not the usual time travel novel one would expect.

Overlap - The Lives of a Former Time Jumper book cover

With Overlap – The Lives of a Former Time Jumper, seasoned writer, N. Joseph Glass has created a time travel novel with a difference. As a reader, I am more accustomed to my time travel reads depicting scenes where at least one character is graphically moving between different periods of time. This wasn’t the case with this book at all. Instead, it is quite true to the blurb given on the back of the book. That said, it is with great thanks to N. Joseph Glass that I got to experience something new and write this review.

The story takes place over a period of a few weeks with the bulk of it being around two days. Marcus Hollister and his business partner were the perfect pairing. Whilst one (Marcus Hollister) handled all the technical side of things, the other (Peter Andrews) was more hands on, providing customer service and generally pushing the boundaries in order to cash in on the invention. So, what’s the invention? The story talks about a few of their ventures, all of which were centered around time travel. However, they mainly concentrate on what was called Vacations in Time. Therefore, the interview is a long chat about what Vacations in Time is, how it developed, and the kind of experiences that the time traveler can experience.

What sets this novel aside from other novels that share the same genre is that it relies on characters discussing the travels of time jumpers rather than showing those jumps in action. I found these stories to be quite clustered together, prior to this the book is quite a slow burn. Thus, hearing the adventures is probably the turning point, but the reader will need to have patience.

It’s hard to decide who this book is best for. For lovers of the typical time travel story, I would have to throw it out there and say that I do not believe this would be their cup of tea. Instead, I think the person that would be at home with this book is someone that likes to take their time with a tale, prioritizes getting to know individual characters over the plot, likes books that are different from the norm, and doesn’t pick the commercial best sellers.

There are barely a handful of concrete actors in this story, consequently the readers get to know each one really well. There are back stories, mannerisms, and the author has clearly fleshed out the characters to ensure that they have their own voices and personalities that are realistic and fitting for the role that they play in the narrative. Each character is likable and has a clear purpose in the story. Overall, I enjoyed the read. It wasn’t a page-turner but there were certainly instances where I couldn’t put the book down. With so few characters and most of the action taking place in one location there is nowhere to hide, and so certain scenes gave rise to a level of predictability. The book is also flawless in its presentation, so hats off for the editing that ensured there were no errors. Definitely worth a read, it might actually surprise you.

Quick Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ / PG-13 Rated

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