Because You'll Never Meet Me

Because You'll Never Meet Me
Written by Leah Thomas
Contemporary, Science Fiction, LGBT
Published July 1st 2015
352 Pages
Thank you to Bloomsbury Australia
★★★★
Ollie and Moritz are best friends, but they can never meet. Ollie is allergic to electricity. Contact with it causes debilitating seizures. Moritz’s weak heart is kept pumping by an electronic pacemaker. If they ever did meet, Ollie would seize. But Moritz would die without his pacemaker. Both hermits from society, the boys develop a fierce bond through letters that become a lifeline during dark times, as Ollie loses his only friend, Liz, to the normalcy of high school and Moritz deals with a bully set on destroying him.

A story of impossible friendship and hope under strange circumstances, this debut is powerful, dark and humorous in equal measure. These extraordinary voices bring readers into the hearts and minds of two special boys who, like many teens, are just waiting for their moment to shine.
Oliver is allergic to electricity, spending his days in his mother's ramshackle cabin, reading and mastering the glockenspiel. He's a local legend, he and his mother living off the grid with their only visitor in a man known as Auburn Stache, a doctor who is connected to Ollie's late father. Ollie sees electricity as bursts of colour, he's never watched television, never experienced the internet or used a mobile phone. So when his mother suggests her write a letter to a penpal she believes may understand Ollie's condition, he feels he may finally have a friend. The last one didn't work out so well for Ollie.

Moritz knows what it feels like to be ostracised. Not only does he rely on a pacemaker to keep him alive, but Moritz was born without eyes, he was born listening, using his other senses to see. Oceans apart, the two boys understand that with Ollie's allergy and Moritz's pacemaker, their friendship will only ever consist of letters. But neither boy realises how much they will rely on the other to live.

My Thoughts

Because You'll Never Meet Me was one of the most unique contemporary fusion reads I've come across. It blended the strange and endearing, with a science fiction twist. The storyline is told in a series of letters between Oliver and Moritz. Ollie is allergic to electricity, he and his mother live in a cabin to protect Ollie from the devices that most of us can't live without. Surrounded by powerlines, their property is shared with Junkyard Joe, a man who uses the land to hunt. It's there that Ollie meets Liz, a girl with a sense of fun and mischief. Liz is the reason why Ollie now waits in their driveway, for the girl who may never arrive.

Moritz lives in a bustling German city, navigating the tumultuous halls of high school where he is bullied and abused by Lenz, a boy insistent on making Moritz's life miserable. In public, he wears opaque goggles to hide his 'disability', but Moritz isn't blind. He can see through his extraordinary senses of sound, touch and scent. But life for Moritz didn't begin with a loving family, and his story leaves Ollie wanting to know more about the aloof boy.

The letter's between the two boys were absolutely lovely. Ollie needed to fill the space with constant chatter, while the untrusting Moritz learnt to trust Ollie through their interactions. We learn more about Ollie's mother, his absent father and about Liz, the girl that Ollie has fallen in love with. While Moritz shares the story about the only father he's ever known, his own sexuality and dealing with the pressure of being different. I loved the back and forth letter format, it gave the reader an incredible sense of both Ollie and Moritz's inner thoughts being told from their own point of view. As the story progresses, it shifts from contemporary to what could only be seen as science fiction. I loved the twist, but was hoping it could have been eased into the storyline, as I felt slightly disconnected.

A warm and well written story about two boys oceans apart, that find solace in one another, their thoughts and secrets. A lovely debut novel from an author who will no doubt only go from strength to strength.

33 comments

  1. Great review, and great interview. I posted my review this week as well, and mentioned that the sci fi elements were unexpected, given the marketing.

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    1. I just seen it Nicole and absolutely thrilled that you loved it too. It was a complete surprise to me too, I had heard there was a bit of a twist but nothing can prepare you for that. Such a strange, but really endearing twist of events.

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  2. This sounds lovely and personally, I've never come across a premise like this and it sounds it's going to be great mix of contemporary and sci-fi, although I think I prefer the term speculative fiction. I'm excited to read this, and great review, Kelly! <3

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    1. Thanks Naban and lovely to see you again. This one is really surprising, the mixture of contemporary and science fiction sounds odd, but really works. It's strange, quirky and really endearing.

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  3. Wow this sounds really good and unique.I can't wait to read it (I really want to know what that twist is). Fabulous review! P.S. I've been gone for sometime and I am loving your new blog design. I mean wow!!!

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    1. TAYLOR! Lovely to see you again poppet. How have you been? The twist is awesome, completely unexpected and there is also a sequel planned as well. I can't wait to see what you think of it.

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  4. Unique is an understatement, I think. Lol. Allergic to electricity? And a LGBT to boot? I actually picked up this novel a while back, and just patiently waiting until I can get to it. Sigh. Story of my life.

    Fantastic review, as usual!

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    1. Thanks Joy and I feel you there. Too many incredible books and so little time in which to read them all. I loved the back and forth letters between the boys, in which you see them open up to one another and really form a strong bond, becoming more confident too. It was really lovely.

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  5. OOOH that answer to your question is so interesting. I guess because being "allergic" to electricity IS an actual thing, it didn't seem sci-fi-ish to me. Although Moritz's superpowers (being able to read ACTUAL BOOKS) did confuse me a bit.

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    1. It felt more contemporary, but that science fiction twist really threw me. I wasn't expecting it at all. I love that it added that extra little something to take it from a great read, to something really surprising and awesome.

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  6. I keep hearing about this science-fiction ending. This was actually a DNF for me, but I don't know, maybe if it read more like a science fiction book all the way through, I would have liked it more. I can see how people would be confused but I appreciate your review and the author's thoughts on the whole thing!

    -Lauren

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    1. Oh no Lauren. I can certainly see why this might not be for everyone though, as some of the letters were a little slow and didn't offer much to the overall storyline. I completely agree, I think if the science fiction elements had of been introduced a little earlier, it would have given the book a completely different feel.

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  7. Fascinating interview! I thought this was contemporary as well, I mean if the situations and characters are more realistic I can understand how that could be interpreted. Interesting point of view from the author though!

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    1. The science fiction twist was probably the equivalent to what we see as magic realism in contemporary novels, it's just another aspect that adds that little something extra, but not enough to overwhelm it. It's a great read Jeann, really looking forward to seeing your thoughts.

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  8. Wow, this sounds like such a refreshing read. The thought processes behind the novel are very interesting. I want it! :D

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    1. Yes, yes you do Mawa. The mix is really strange, but works so incredibly well. I really enjoyed it and looking forward to seeing what you think of it.

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  9. Great review and interview. I like that this you say this book blends the strange and the endearing.... sounds like my kind of book!

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    1. I love those quirky type reads too, something unexpected that really surprises you. This book is certainly that, and wonderfully written too.

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  10. I've been seeing this cover everywhere lately but I have to admit that this is actually the first time I learn anything about what the book is actually about. I love the interview and everything I learned about the thought process behind this one.

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    1. Me too Lily. I love being able to find out the storyline behind the pages, something I'd love to see in the back of every book actually. It's an awesome read, completely surprising in a world of what seems to be typical young adult tropes lately. Would love to see what you think of it too Lily.

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  11. This is such an eye-opening post Leah! I just finished Because You'll Never Meet Me last night and absolutely loved it. From the reviews I've read, it seems like the main criticism people had - if any - was the sci-fi ending; but this really sheds some light on how the story was never really fully contemporary in the first place. Thanks for sharing Kelly, and fabulous post Leah! ♥

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    1. For me, it was because the synopsis sounded strictly contemporary, so I was thrown when I reached the last few chapters. But it's that fusion towards the end that made this a strange, but really compelling read too. So glad to hear you really enjoyed it too Zoe. Looking forward to seeing your thoughts.

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  12. I am all for weird and odd books, but I'm scared that I won't like this because I don't typically read books written in letters. I just have this strange feeling that the writing style for this and I won't get along. D: So glad you ended up enjoying it yourself, though! :D

    "Once you put a book into the world, it doesn’t belong to you. That’s part of the infinite wonder of books." Totally loved this line from Leah's answer!

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    1. Me too Aimee, I love hearing about the thoughts behind the pages.

      The letters read as points of view, or conversations between the boys, rather than stop start letters. It's really lovely, definitely give it a try, it might really surprise you.

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  13. Wow, I did not know this had an element of scifi to it. I shy away from contemporary, but after reading your review I know that I must have this on my TBR! The letter format of the writing sounds very interesting as well. It actually sounds a lot like Everything, Everything- which I greatly enjoyed. Thanks for the awesome review!

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    1. It does doesn't it, another one I'm looming forward to reading too Aentee. I had no idea about the science fiction elements too, I think if it's more widely known, readers might be more inclined to try something that's a little quirky and unique. I really enjoyed it, so lovely.

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  14. I was driving to work today, and the sky was the perfect colour and the power lines were in my field of vision as birds swooped around and I thought of this book cover haha

    I've read one novel that's all letters, and it wasn't a YA, so I'm sort of curious about this one. Thank you for sharing :)

    - Wattle @ Whimsical Nature

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    1. That's utterly gorgeous Wattle.

      Even though it was written as letters back and forth between the boys, it was more in depth that just reading a point of view, as they felt compelled to share the aspect of their lives that really makes you invest emotionally in both boys, but Ollie especially. Well worth the read.

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  15. To be honest, this book went completely under my radar. I knew about it, but I didn't further investigate to see if it would be something I'd be interested in picking up. Thank goodness for your reviews, because girl, I need this book like now. First of all, the concept is incredibly unique. I love that she didn't go the typical route with their disabilities, giving us a fresh take on a trope that's done alot in YA. I actually didn't know the story was told in the format of letters so I'm even more excited to dive in. I'm purchasing books from amazon today, so I'll be adding this to the list! Amazing review as usual Kelly :)

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    1. Thanks Tika. And you're exactly right, it's a unique spin on the illness and conditions that seem to be really predominant in young adult at the moment. The letters back and forth between the boys are almost like a fly on the wall account into their worlds, joyful, but mostly really sad. Such an emotional read.

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  16. Quite honestly, I thought this book was contemporary given the way it had been marketed and even just the blurb. But given that I now know about the sci-fic elements, I will be prepared and won't feel betrayed!

    I am really looking forward to reading this book (soon? eventually? IDK) and I hope I'll love it as much as you did!

    Lovely review, hon <3

    Rashika @ The Social Potato

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  17. Kelly, I love the sound of this book so much. It not only sounds unique, but the characters seem delightful. I'm very curious about the way contemporary is blended with that little bit of science fiction. I think I would thoroughly enjoy the letters the two of them share as well. I'm going to try and see if my library already has a copy of this one.
    Wonderful review!

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  18. Ohh, I really appreciated that interview question! :O I feel like maybe the book's been marketed wrong if it was supposed to be soft-sci-fi the whole time?! Because it always feels lumped in with contemporaries whenever I see it. >_< And I thought allergies to electricity were LEGIT. omg, I feel silly. hehe I LOOOOVED reading the author's perspective on this.

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