No Time Like Now
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
A teen finds himself in a race against time when he learns he's given away more years than he has left to live in this thought-provoking speculative romp.
It's been one year since Hazeem's father passed away unexpectedly, and one year since Hazeem got his special ability: He can grant any living thing extra time. Since then, he's been randomly granting people more years to live: his old friend Holly, his study buddy Yamany, his crush Jack. . . . The only problem is, none of them wanted to spend any of that time with Hazeem.
Now, Hazeem spends most of his days with his grandmother. When she experiences a heart attack, Hazeem is quick to use his power to save her--until Time themself appears and tells Hazeem he has accrued a time debt, having given away more life than he has left to live and putting the entire timeline in serious danger of collapse. In order to save the timeline and himself, Hazeem must take back some of the life he has granted other people. Suddenly, Hazeem is on a journey through and against time, but as he confronts the events of the past, he must confront the mistakes he made along the way. Hazeem will come to realize that when it comes to time, quality is more important to quantity--but is it too late to reclaim the life he's given away so he can really start living?
No Time Like Now is timely twist on A Christmas Carol that takes readers on a thought-provoking adventure, asking what matters most in life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kutub (The Loophole) explores themes of grief and love in this emotionally charged speculative novel. After Muslim 17-year-old Hazeem's father abruptly died a year ago, Hazeem has become estranged from his neurosurgeon mother and his three former best friends, including his Yemeni American crush, Jack. Hazeem's only companions are his paternal grandmother and his hamster, Mary Shelley. But when Nana dies, Hazeem taps into his innate magical ability, the very thing that also deteriorated his friendships: he trades some of his own lifespan to extend Nana's. The world freezes as Time themself arrives, announcing that Hazeem has created a lifespan deficit that has broken the multiverse. To fix it, Hazeem must reclaim the years that he had given to a loved one, which would lead to their death. Time then takes Hazeem on a revelatory journey reminiscent of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, during which he learns more about his friends, his late father, and himself. While Time's ethereal characterization often feels inconsistent, Kutub's depiction of Hazeem's earnest relationships build to a tender climax that is both heartrending and uplifting. Most characters are described as having brown skin. Ages 13–up.
