Everything Happens So Much Book Review and Summary
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Elena Volkova - 21 Aug, 2026 18:20
Author: Andrew H. Murray
Page Count: Unknown
Publication Date: Expected publication 2026-11-10 APL
The synopsis for Everything Happens So Much reads like a fever dream someone scribbled down after three espressos and a particularly bad breakup—equal parts The Midnight Library’s existential dread and Everything Everywhere All at Once’s chaotic multiversal sprawl, but with the narrative discipline of a drunkard trying to remember where they parked. Esme Good, the protagonist, is the kind of woman who would’ve been a Bridgerton side character if she’d had the decency to be born into a scandalous family instead of a soul-crushing corporate cubicle. Her “escape” into The Elsewheres—tiny potions that let her briefly inhabit alternate versions of herself—is the literary equivalent of a Tinder profile that only ever gets swiped left. Because of course, the universe’s cruelest joke is that her alternate lives are even worse than the one she’s stuck in.
The real kicker? She becomes the most important person in any universe after a workplace incident that could’ve been plucked straight from a Seinfeld episode—someone tripping over a cable, maybe, or misplacing a stapler in a way that sends the multiverse into a tailspin. The synopsis doesn’t bother explaining why, which is either a sign of genius or a cop-out. Either way, it’s the kind of vague cosmic handwave that makes you wonder if the author’s been reading too much Lovecraft and not enough The Office. The prophecy bit is just icing on the existential cake, a last-ditch effort to make this feel like more than a Black Mirror episode where the twist is “your life is boring.”
The thematic potential here is ridiculous—a woman forced into heroism by circumstance, the absurdity of fate, the way mundanity can curdle into something mythic if you’re unlucky enough. But the execution? It’s the literary equivalent of a TikTok trend that fizzles after three days. The synopsis leans way too hard into the “chosen one” trope without the payoff of, say, The Dark Tower’s slow-burn gravitas or Annihilation’s eerie ambiguity. Instead, it feels like a Netflix original that’s been greenlit on the strength of its title alone, with all the depth of a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy.
And let’s talk about the prophecy—because nothing says “timeless” like a plot device that’s been on hold since the dawn of time. It’s the literary equivalent of a Nintendo game that’s been in development hell for a decade, waiting for the right moment to drop. The synopsis doesn’t even try to sell it; it just throws out the bones like a Game of Thrones episode that forgot to write the actual story. Another one bites the dust.
The real question is whether Murray can turn this into something more than a Twilight Zone rerun with a pretentious title. The synopsis reads like it was written by someone who’s read too many Goodreads reviews and not enough Borges—all flash and no substance. But then again, maybe that’s the point. Maybe Everything Happens So Much is supposed to be the kind of book that makes you question whether you’re reading a novel or just a really elaborate Reddit thread about existential dread.
I need to go bake three dozen cupcakes by tomorrow morning. The oven’s already preheating.
