L'horizon à l'envers addresses one of the most contentious themes in human history: can consciousness exist independently of the body? What constitutes a person, including the body, physiological activities, organs, blood, DNA, or simply the person's memories and awareness stored in the brain? Can we love solely the conscious portion of another person without including the body? And, more importantly, can love to overturn the hard rules of sickness and death? Marc Levy has used all of them as the actual and virtual backdrop for the love tale of the two main protagonists, Josh and Hope.
I'm not referring to the validity and plausibility of scientific tests, the medical information portrayed in the novel or a future in which the unthinkable becomes conceivable when people's memories are replicated and kept outside of their bodies. Simply said, no matter how many times I read those sentences, my limited understanding of the brain, consciousness, and science cannot be understood (generally also respect Uncle Marc Levy because of his surveys, research, and evidence when writing this book.) What struck me the most, and most heartbreakingly, was the circumstance Hope and Josh were pushed into - a situation that challenged their love and how perilous it was for them to hope for fulfillment one day together.
I grieved as I watched Hope slowly die of a cancerous condition when the time she had left in her body to be with Josh was measured in days when it appeared that with their youth, they would have a long life ahead of them to love one other, but fate does not allow it. Then there was the pivotal moment when the game they chose to play with Luke's assistance decided their fate. Hope found Josh's letter in the middle of the sand dunes, a letter full of his love for her, for their love, and I sobbed. And, in the midst of what appeared to be an insurmountable circumstance, those letters made me more emotional than ever.
In the end, the lovers reconcile. A wonderful conclusion that leaves me with an incredibly sorrowful aftertaste... After reading this novel, I immediately want to spend supper with someone on a pier near the water. I simply glanced at the stars...
Oh, and the entire concept of this work and the pinkish pink book cover remind me of an episode of my favorite TV show "Black Mirror," named "San Junipero." That episode also addresses the topic of human consciousness/emotions/thoughts existing outside the body's confines. And, in the end, the two lovers rekindle their love. What a strange coincidence...