Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* TragicTimeTraveler: Brad Cohen initially benefits from his BackToTheWomb time loop, but eventually suffers TimeLoopFatigue as a result of it always ending at his 40th birthday. Not only that, his marriage with Juliet never comes to pass, his daughters are never born, and even his mental faculties begin failing him in later loops, driving him all but insane. [[spoiler:Luckily he eventually manages to break the loop]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
A Date With Rosie Palms is no longer a trope
* CaughtWithYourPantsDown: A natural feature of Brad's teenage years on the first repeat, this inevitably results in him accidentally getting caught by his father while jacking off. Mutual embarrassment ensues.
Deleted line(s) 19 (click to see context) :
* ADateWithRosiePalms: A natural feature of Brad's teenage years on the first repeat, this inevitably results in him accidentally getting caught by his father while jacking off. Mutual embarrassment ensues.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* BackToTheWomb: The action of the story kicks off with Brad waking up in his mother's womb and eventually being born again; in every life that follows, he vanishes out of existence on the night before his fortieth birthday and wake up in the womb, ready to start the GroundhogDayLoop all over again.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ImmortalApathy: The story is centered around protagonist Brad Cohen getting stuck in a GroundhogDayLoop that begins [[BornAgainImmortality in the womb]] and ends on the night before his fortieth birthday. Initially enjoying the experience, Brad finds himself becoming progressively alienated from humanity as his second chance expands into immortality; there's nobody he can relate to, he can't reveal his true nature without seeming insane, and the fact that he can't get his old life back only makes him more isolated from new relationships. At one point, he realizes that he's somehow managed to make it through an entire lifetime without making any friends at all.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* DeathlessAndDebauched: Getting bored after two or three cycles, Brad uses his knowledge of the future to fund a lifestyle of mindless hedonism: in the resulting FBI investigation, he admits to having been "[[ImmortalityBisexuality fucking about three women and about one man]] [[ImmortalityPromiscuity a week for the last twenty years]]," with ridiculous quantities of drugs thrown in for good measure. He even brags of doing things like having liquid psilocybin injected into his penis or jamming tennis balls into his anus while masturbating into a handful of cocaine.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ImmortalGenius: Deconstructed; Brad uses his knowledge of the future to become rich and famous, while also gaining mastery of various disciplines over the centuries - to the point that even scholars are impressed by his fluency in Hebrew. Unfortunately, being the Immortal Genius is very hard on Brad's sanity: TimeLoopFatigue destroys his ability to tell his past lives apart, leaving him showing up to jobs he was never hired for, forgetting conversations he had a short time ago, randomly predicting the future, and demonstrating skills that he shouldn't logically possess. By the end of this particular life, he's regarded by many as a MadOracle.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
* BrainyBaby: Brad retains his adult intelligence and memories despite restarting his life as an infant; though this results in an incredible amount of embarrassment once he has to start dealing with things like breastfeeding and his bowels, it gives him a natural headstart once his body matures enough for him to speak.
to:
* BrainyBaby: Brad retains his adult intelligence and memories despite restarting his life as an infant; though this results in an incredible amount of embarrassment once he has to start dealing with things like breastfeeding and his bowels, it gives him a natural headstart over literally every other child on the planet once his body matures enough for him to speak.
Changed line(s) 18 (click to see context) from:
* ADateWithRosiePalms: A natural feature of Brad's teenage years on the first repeat, this naturally results in him accidentally getting caught by his father while jacking off. Mutual embarrassment ensues.
to:
* ADateWithRosiePalms: A natural feature of Brad's teenage years on the first repeat, this naturally inevitably results in him accidentally getting caught by his father while jacking off. Mutual embarrassment ensues.
Changed line(s) 26 (click to see context) from:
* HookersAndBlow: In one of his later lives, Brad becomes a stockbroker and spends a lot of his gains on increasingly desperate feats of hedonism, most of them involving drugs and prostitutes of both sexes. While being interviewed by the FBI, he details some of them.
to:
* HookersAndBlow: In one of his later lives, Brad becomes a stockbroker and spends a lot of his gains on increasingly desperate feats of hedonism, most of them involving drugs and prostitutes of both sexes. While being interviewed by the FBI, he details some of them.them - one of the ''least'' spectacular involving a male prostitute injecting liquid psilocybin into his penis in broad daylight.
Changed line(s) 28 (click to see context) from:
* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler: The executive who rudely nixed Brad's project at the start of the novel ends up being fired for treating Brad so unpleasantly during the conference - giving Brad a second chance in the process.]]
to:
* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler: The In the final chapter, the executive who rudely nixed Brad's project at the start of the novel ends up being fired for treating Brad so unpleasantly during the conference - giving conference. In the process, Brad is given a second chance in the process.at success.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 18 (click to see context) from:
* ADateWithRosyPalms: A natural feature of Brad's teenage years on the first repeat, this naturally results in him accidentally getting caught by his father while jacking off. Mutual embarrassment ensues.
to:
* ADateWithRosyPalms: ADateWithRosiePalms: A natural feature of Brad's teenage years on the first repeat, this naturally results in him accidentally getting caught by his father while jacking off. Mutual embarrassment ensues.
Added DiffLines:
* JewsLoveToArgue: Having had a respectable Orthodox upbringing, Brad Cohen decides to spice up his first repeat by voicing some radical left-wing beliefs ([[DeliberateValuesDissonance by 1980s standards]]) in front of a crowd at his local synagogue, taking great delight in sparking an argument between two politically-opposed rabbis in the process and watching as the exchange of Yiddish expletives becomes more and more heated as the squabble continues.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* ADateWithRosyPalms: A natural feature of Brad's teenage years on the first repeat, this naturally results in him accidentally getting caught by his father while jacking off. Mutual embarrassment ensues.
* ExecutiveExcess: Justified; in one of his later lives, Brad becomes a high-flying stockbroker... and an inordinate part of his career seems focused on increasingly ruinous acts of hedonism rather than actually doing any work. However, Brad has the advantage of having knowledge of the future stock market, essentially allowing him to succeed with little effort - to the point that the FBI investigate him for possible financial crimes.
Changed line(s) 22,23 (click to see context) from:
* GroundhogDayLoop: The crux of the novel, with Brad living the first forty years of his life then waking up in the womb to do it all over again.
* GroundhogPeggySue: Brad frequently alters the course of his personal history in order to improve his life; among other things, he saves classic comics and electronic systems so they can be sold for massive profits, invests pocket money in stocks, and even uses his knowledge of future politics to make a life for himself as a successful journalist. Unfortunately, he never manages to get it to stick thanks to his repeated rebirths - sending Brad on a centuries-long quest to discover how he can sever the loop.
* GroundhogPeggySue: Brad frequently alters the course of his personal history in order to improve his life; among other things, he saves classic comics and electronic systems so they can be sold for massive profits, invests pocket money in stocks, and even uses his knowledge of future politics to make a life for himself as a successful journalist. Unfortunately, he never manages to get it to stick thanks to his repeated rebirths - sending Brad on a centuries-long quest to discover how he can sever the loop.
to:
* GroundhogDayLoop: The crux of the novel, with Brad living the first forty years of his life then waking up in the womb to do it all over again.
again; appropriately enough, it's also the crux of the TV idea he tries to get greenlit, and one of the less-polite Hollywood suits directly compares to ''Groundhog Day.''
* GroundhogPeggySue: Bradfrequently alters quickly realizes that the course loop is doomed to continue indefinitely, and is reduced to doing just about anything in the dim hope of breaking the cycle, without much success. [[spoiler: The ultimate twist is that the way he breaks the loop is ''not'' about changing history, but about learning to accept his life as it is: by finally abandoning his efforts to alter his personal history in order to improve his life; among other things, he saves classic comics timeline and electronic systems so they can be sold for massive profits, invests pocket money in stocks, and even uses his knowledge of future politics to make a simply going through life for himself exactly as a successful journalist. Unfortunately, he never manages to get it to stick thanks to his repeated rebirths - sending Brad on a centuries-long quest to discover how he can sever did the loop.first time, he breaks the cycle.]]
* GroundhogPeggySue: Brad
Added DiffLines:
* TimeTravelForFunAndProfit: Brad frequently alters the course of his personal history in order to improve his life; among other things, he saves classic comics and electronic systems so they can be sold for massive profits, invests pocket money in stocks, and even uses his knowledge of future politics to make a life for himself as a successful journalist.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* CreatorCameo: Late in the books, Brad's increasingly bewildered antics result in him becoming the subject of an article in the ''Chicago Reader'' - written by Neal Pollack, who narrates this section of the book.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 24 (click to see context) from:
* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler: The executive who nixed Brad's project ends up being fired for treating Brad so unpleasantly during the conference, giving Brad a second chance.]]
to:
* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler: The executive who rudely nixed Brad's project at the start of the novel ends up being fired for treating Brad so unpleasantly during the conference, conference - giving Brad a second chance.chance in the process.]]
Changed line(s) 26 (click to see context) from:
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's possible that Brad's experiences are real and he's actually trapped in an infinite loop or travelling the multiverse, but it's equally likely that he might just be dreaming; indeed, when Juliet meets Brad again in a later cycle, she mentions that a special herbal concoction can apparently induce dream states in which time has no meaning... but at the same time, this cycle is told from ''Juliet's'' perspective, and it specifically notes that Brad has ceased to exist by 2015 - even though he actually vanishes in 2010, suggesting that this timeline really is continuing onwards without him.
to:
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: The exact nature of Brad's experiences are never fully elaborated upon, only hinted at. It's possible that Brad's experiences are real and he's actually trapped in an infinite loop or and/or travelling the multiverse, but it's equally likely that he might just be dreaming; indeed, dreaming. Indeed, when Juliet meets Brad again in a later cycle, she mentions that a special herbal concoction can apparently induce dream states in which time has no meaning... but at the same time, this cycle is told from ''Juliet's'' perspective, and it specifically notes that Brad has ceased to exist by 2015 - even though he actually usually vanishes from the cycle in 2010, suggesting that this timeline really is the timelines are real and are continuing onwards without him.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
Brad Cohen is not having a good time of things: a struggling writer with a family to provide for and a history of missed opportunities, he's just had his latest project turned down, the crappy TV show he was writing for is being cancelled, ''and'' he finds himself celebrating his fortieth birthday with a night-out that he knows he can't afford. Convinced he's a total failure, he suffers a breakdown that his wife Juliet - a self-described witch - attempts to remedy by providing him with a potion that will supposedly make him feel better. Brad drinks it right before bedtime...
to:
Brad Cohen is not having a good time of things: a struggling writer with a family to provide for and a history of missed opportunities, he's just had his latest project turned down, the crappy TV show he was writing for is being cancelled, ''and'' he finds himself celebrating on the night before his fortieth birthday with a night-out that he knows he can't afford. Convinced he's a total failure, he suffers a breakdown that his wife Juliet - a self-described witch - attempts to remedy by providing him with a potion that will supposedly make him feel better. Brad drinks it right before bedtime...
Changed line(s) 27 (click to see context) from:
* NakedNutter: After yet another failed attempt at replicating his life with Juliet in one of his later cycles, Brad goes for a very confused walk along Lake Michigan that ends with him taking all his clothes off and [[RageAgainstTheHeavens screaming at the sky]].
to:
* NakedNutter: After yet another failed attempt at replicating his life with Juliet in one of his later cycles, Brad goes for a very confused walk along Lake Michigan that ends with him taking all his clothes off - despite the bitter cold - and [[RageAgainstTheHeavens screaming at the sky]].sky]].
* ObfuscatingStupidity: To avoid being the target of suspicion in his first life, Brad does his best to act his age; though he occasionally slips up and admits something about the future, he covers it up by acting as childishly as possible so it won't seem strange.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: To avoid being the target of suspicion in his first life, Brad does his best to act his age; though he occasionally slips up and admits something about the future, he covers it up by acting as childishly as possible so it won't seem strange.
Added DiffLines:
* ThrowTheDogABone: After having no luck in his first life and an escalating case of depression in all his other ones, [[spoiler: Brad finally awakens back in his old life - where his project is given a second chance, his bread-and-butter work is renewed, and Brad is able to appreciate what he has.]]
Added DiffLines:
* WanderingWalkOfMadness: Brad's failure to reunite with his wife results in a long, despairing and largely directionless walk down to Lake Michigan; quite apart from the fact that he ends this walk by stripping nude and screaming, this is the point where his sanity ''really'' starts to unravel.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 5,6 (click to see context) from:
...and promptly wakes up in the womb, right back at the start of his life.
to:
...and promptly wakes up in the womb, in 1970, right back at the start of his life.
Changed line(s) 14,15 (click to see context) from:
* BornAgainImmortality: Brad essentially "dies" on his fortieth birthday on every iteration and is reborn as a fetus.
to:
* BornAgainImmortality: Brad essentially "dies" on his fortieth birthday on every iteration of his life and is reborn as a
* BrainyBaby: Brad retains his adult intelligence and memories despite restarting his life as an infant; though this results in an incredible amount of embarrassment once he has to start dealing with things like breastfeeding and his bowels, it gives him a natural headstart once his body matures enough for him to speak.
Changed line(s) 24 (click to see context) from:
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's possible that Brad's experiences are real and he's actually trapped in an infinite loop or travelling the multiverse, but it's equally likely that the potion might just be giving him a particularly vivid dream; indeed, when Juliet meets Brad again in a later cycle, she mentions that a herbal concoction can apparently induce dream states in which time has no meaning... but at the same time, this cycle is told from ''Juliet's'' perspective, and it specifically notes that Brad mysteriously vanishes from the world after 2010.
to:
* LoserProtagonist: Brad in a nutshell, at least prior to using his foreknowledge to make himself a success in his new lives. [[spoiler: Though he's forced to abandon his success in order to break the loop, the story ends with him finally being given a break.]]
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's possible that Brad's experiences are real and he's actually trapped in an infinite loop or travelling the multiverse, but it's equally likely thatthe potion he might just be giving him a particularly vivid dream; dreaming; indeed, when Juliet meets Brad again in a later cycle, she mentions that a special herbal concoction can apparently induce dream states in which time has no meaning... but at the same time, this cycle is told from ''Juliet's'' perspective, and it specifically notes that Brad mysteriously has ceased to exist by 2015 - even though he actually vanishes from the world after 2010.in 2010, suggesting that this timeline really is continuing onwards without him.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's possible that Brad's experiences are real and he's actually trapped in an infinite loop or travelling the multiverse, but it's equally likely that
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
Brad Cohen is not having a good time of things: a struggling writer with a family to provide for and a history of missed opportunities, he's just had his latest project turned down - ''and'' finds himself celebrating his fortieth birthday with a night-out that he knows he can't afford. Convinced he's a total failure, he suffers a breakdown that his wife Juliet - a self-described witch - attempts to remedy by providing him with a potion that will supposedly make him feel better. Brad drinks it right before bedtime...
to:
Brad Cohen is not having a good time of things: a struggling writer with a family to provide for and a history of missed opportunities, he's just had his latest project turned down - down, the crappy TV show he was writing for is being cancelled, ''and'' he finds himself celebrating his fortieth birthday with a night-out that he knows he can't afford. Convinced he's a total failure, he suffers a breakdown that his wife Juliet - a self-described witch - attempts to remedy by providing him with a potion that will supposedly make him feel better. Brad drinks it right before bedtime...
Changed line(s) 29 (click to see context) from:
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Over the course of numerous cycles, Brad grows increasingly depressed with the fact that he can't stay attached to a single lifetime, and spends one cycle emotionally destroyed.
to:
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Over the course of numerous cycles, Brad grows increasingly depressed with the fact that he can't stay attached to a single lifetime, lifetime even after living for centuries on end, and spends one cycle emotionally destroyed.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* TheStoner: Brad regularly smokes pot for inspiration - though given how little this actually works, it's really a means of preventing his depression from getting the better of him. In his second life, he continues his habit to the next level by stealing from his dad's stash. [[spoiler: After breaking the loop and finding some success, his agent advises him to remain sober from now on - which Brad appears to be managing.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
Brad Cohen is not having a good time of things: a struggling writer with a family to provide for and a history of missed opportunities, he's just had his latest project turned down - ''and'' finds himself celebrating his fortieth birthday with a night-out he knows he can't afford. Convinced he's a total failure, he suffers a breakdown that his wife (a wiccan) attempts to remedy by providing him with a potion that will supposedly make him feel better. Brad drinks it right before bedtime...
to:
Brad Cohen is not having a good time of things: a struggling writer with a family to provide for and a history of missed opportunities, he's just had his latest project turned down - ''and'' finds himself celebrating his fortieth birthday with a night-out that he knows he can't afford. Convinced he's a total failure, he suffers a breakdown that his wife (a wiccan) Juliet - a self-described witch - attempts to remedy by providing him with a potion that will supposedly make him feel better. Brad drinks it right before bedtime...
Changed line(s) 7,8 (click to see context) from:
Now, Brad has a chance to relive his life the way he could have, this time knowing what opportunities to pursue and how to make the most of this second chance. Using his foreknowledge to invest in successful corporations and presidential candidates, he becomes rich, famous, and successful... but alas, he never manages to find his wife again, so it all rings hollow in the end. Worse still, on his fortieth birthday, he finds himself falling asleep...
to:
Now, Brad has a chance to relive his life the way he could have, this time knowing what opportunities to pursue and how to make the most of this second chance. Using his foreknowledge to invest in successful corporations and presidential candidates, he becomes rich, famous, and successful... but alas, he never manages to find his wife Juliet again, so it all rings hollow in the end. Worse still, on his fortieth birthday, he finds himself falling asleep...
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: After living a long succession of increasingly miserable lives, Brad figures out that he can only escape the cycle by finding a life he can be satisfied with; so, on his next iteration, he decides to live his personal history ''exactly'' as he did originally without trying to change anything, eventually meeting his future wife, getting married, starting the same family he had in his first life, and winding up back in the same faltering job he had at the start of the story - and he ''finally'' wakes up on the morning after his fortieth birthday. Then, just as it looks as if the story's going to end on a slightly bittersweet note, Brad receives a phone call revealing that his project has gotten a second chance, and he can at long last find a little hard-won success in life.]]
to:
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: After living a long succession of increasingly miserable lives, Brad figures out that he can only escape the cycle by finding a life he can be satisfied with; so, on his next iteration, he decides to live his personal history ''exactly'' as he did originally without trying to change anything, eventually meeting his future wife, getting married, starting the same family he had in his first life, and winding up back in the same faltering job he had at the start of the story - and he ''finally'' wakes up on the morning after his fortieth birthday. Then, just as it looks as if the story's going to end on a slightly bittersweet note, Brad receives is called to a phone call revealing meeting with his agent, who reveals that his project has gotten a second chance, chance and the animated show he can was writing for has been renewed, allowing him some much-needed cash and another shot at long last find original success. Plus, thanks to the infinite loop, Brad has a little hard-won success in life.''ton'' of inspiration...]]
Changed line(s) 18 (click to see context) from:
** The time-travel is prompted by a major breakdown on Brad's part following a ''very'' bad day, leaving him vomiting and crying in despair.
to:
** The time-travel is prompted by a major breakdown on Brad's part following a ''very'' bad day, leaving him vomiting and crying sobbing in despair.
Changed line(s) 21,23 (click to see context) from:
* GroundhogPeggySue: Brad frequently alters the course of his personal history in order to improve his life, but never manages to get it to stick thanks to his repeated rebirths - sending Brad on a centuries-long quest to discover how he can sever the loop.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's possible that Brad's experiences are real and he's actually reliving his life, travelling the multiverse, or something similarly fantastic, but it's also suggested at one point that the potion might just be giving him a particularly vivid dream.
* TimeLoopFatigue: The endless cycle of his life wears on Brad after a while, and the fact that it always begins with four decades of progress being undone doesn't help.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's possible that Brad's experiences are real and he's actually reliving his life, travelling the multiverse, or something similarly fantastic, but it's also suggested at one point that the potion might just be giving him a particularly vivid dream.
* TimeLoopFatigue: The endless cycle of his life wears on Brad after a while, and the fact that it always begins with four decades of progress being undone doesn't help.
to:
* GroundhogPeggySue: Brad frequently alters the course of his personal history in order to improve his life, but life; among other things, he saves classic comics and electronic systems so they can be sold for massive profits, invests pocket money in stocks, and even uses his knowledge of future politics to make a life for himself as a successful journalist. Unfortunately, he never manages to get it to stick thanks to his repeated rebirths - sending Brad on a centuries-long quest to discover how he can sever the loop.
* HookersAndBlow: In one of his later lives, Brad becomes a stockbroker and spends a lot of his gains on increasingly desperate feats of hedonism, most of them involving drugs and prostitutes of both sexes. While being interviewed by the FBI, he details some of them.
* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler: The executive who nixed Brad's project ends up being fired for treating Brad so unpleasantly during the conference, giving Brad a second chance.]]
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's possible that Brad's experiences are real and he's actuallyreliving his life, trapped in an infinite loop or travelling the multiverse, or something similarly fantastic, but it's also suggested at one point equally likely that the potion might just be giving him a particularly vivid dream.
dream; indeed, when Juliet meets Brad again in a later cycle, she mentions that a herbal concoction can apparently induce dream states in which time has no meaning... but at the same time, this cycle is told from ''Juliet's'' perspective, and it specifically notes that Brad mysteriously vanishes from the world after 2010.
* NakedNutter: After yet another failed attempt at replicating his life with Juliet in one of his later cycles, Brad goes for a very confused walk along Lake Michigan that ends with him taking all his clothes off and [[RageAgainstTheHeavens screaming at the sky]].
* SanitySlippage: In later cycles, Brad begins to lose touch with his current life and begins muddling the details of what he's actually done, even showing up for work at jobs he had in the past. It gets so bad that his concerned parents take him to see a psychiatrist, who ultimately declares him sane... though that doesn't stop Brad from growing so tangled up in past lives that he forgets about the reporter who was interviewing him.
* TimeLoopFatigue: The endless cycle of his life wears on Brad after a while, and the fact that it always begins with four decades of progress being undone doesn't help. After a while, he actually starts to get the iterations muddled up, resulting in further despair as he starts blundering into roles he filled in previous lives.
* HookersAndBlow: In one of his later lives, Brad becomes a stockbroker and spends a lot of his gains on increasingly desperate feats of hedonism, most of them involving drugs and prostitutes of both sexes. While being interviewed by the FBI, he details some of them.
* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler: The executive who nixed Brad's project ends up being fired for treating Brad so unpleasantly during the conference, giving Brad a second chance.]]
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's possible that Brad's experiences are real and he's actually
* NakedNutter: After yet another failed attempt at replicating his life with Juliet in one of his later cycles, Brad goes for a very confused walk along Lake Michigan that ends with him taking all his clothes off and [[RageAgainstTheHeavens screaming at the sky]].
* SanitySlippage: In later cycles, Brad begins to lose touch with his current life and begins muddling the details of what he's actually done, even showing up for work at jobs he had in the past. It gets so bad that his concerned parents take him to see a psychiatrist, who ultimately declares him sane... though that doesn't stop Brad from growing so tangled up in past lives that he forgets about the reporter who was interviewing him.
* TimeLoopFatigue: The endless cycle of his life wears on Brad after a while, and the fact that it always begins with four decades of progress being undone doesn't help. After a while, he actually starts to get the iterations muddled up, resulting in further despair as he starts blundering into roles he filled in previous lives.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
Brad Cohen is not having a good time of things: a struggling writer with a family to provide for and a history of missed opportunities, he's just had his latest project turned down - ''and'' finds himself celebrating his fortieth birthday with a night-out he knows he can't afford. Convinced he's a loser, he suffers a breakdown that his wife (a wiccan) attempts to remedy by providing him with a potion that will supposedly make him feel better. Brad drinks it right before bedtime...
to:
Brad Cohen is not having a good time of things: a struggling writer with a family to provide for and a history of missed opportunities, he's just had his latest project turned down - ''and'' finds himself celebrating his fortieth birthday with a night-out he knows he can't afford. Convinced he's a loser, total failure, he suffers a breakdown that his wife (a wiccan) attempts to remedy by providing him with a potion that will supposedly make him feel better. Brad drinks it right before bedtime...
Changed line(s) 7,8 (click to see context) from:
Now, Brad has a chance to relive his life the way he could have, this time knowing what opportunities to pursue and how to make the most of this second chance. In time, he becomes rich, famous and successful... but alas, he never manages to find his wife again, so it all rings hollow. Worse still, on his fortieth birthday, he finds himself falling asleep...
to:
Now, Brad has a chance to relive his life the way he could have, this time knowing what opportunities to pursue and how to make the most of this second chance. In time, Using his foreknowledge to invest in successful corporations and presidential candidates, he becomes rich, famous famous, and successful... but alas, he never manages to find his wife again, so it all rings hollow.hollow in the end. Worse still, on his fortieth birthday, he finds himself falling asleep...
Changed line(s) 11,12 (click to see context) from:
What follows is a journey across various iterations of history as Brad struggles to find a way to escape the endless cycle of rebirths and find a life that he can be satisfied with.
to:
What follows is a journey across various numerous iterations of history as Brad struggles to find a way to escape the endless cycle of rebirths and find a life that he can be satisfied with.
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Eventually, Brad figures out that he can only escape the cycle by finding a life he can be satisfied with; so, on his next iteration, he decides to live life ''exactly'' as he did originally without trying to change anything, eventually meeting his future wife, getting married, starting the same family he had in his first life, and winding up back in the same faltering job he had at the start of the story - and he ''finally'' wakes up on the morning after his fortieth birthday. Then he receives a phone call revealing that his project has gotten a second chance, and he can finally find a little hard-won success.]]
to:
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Eventually, After living a long succession of increasingly miserable lives, Brad figures out that he can only escape the cycle by finding a life he can be satisfied with; so, on his next iteration, he decides to live life his personal history ''exactly'' as he did originally without trying to change anything, eventually meeting his future wife, getting married, starting the same family he had in his first life, and winding up back in the same faltering job he had at the start of the story - and he ''finally'' wakes up on the morning after his fortieth birthday. Then he Then, just as it looks as if the story's going to end on a slightly bittersweet note, Brad receives a phone call revealing that his project has gotten a second chance, and he can finally at long last find a little hard-won success.]]success in life.]]
* HeroicBSOD:
** The time-travel is prompted by a major breakdown on Brad's part following a ''very'' bad day, leaving him vomiting and crying in despair.
** After numerous repetitions of the cycle, Brad is left so miserable by his inability to stay in one lifetime or find his wife that he spends one lifetime emotionally crushed and seemingly homeless, too depressed to use his latest life to do anything.
* HeroicBSOD:
** The time-travel is prompted by a major breakdown on Brad's part following a ''very'' bad day, leaving him vomiting and crying in despair.
** After numerous repetitions of the cycle, Brad is left so miserable by his inability to stay in one lifetime or find his wife that he spends one lifetime emotionally crushed and seemingly homeless, too depressed to use his latest life to do anything.
Changed line(s) 19 (click to see context) from:
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's possible that Brad is actually travelling through the multiverse, but it's also suggested that the potion is just giving him a particularly vivid dream.
to:
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's possible that Brad is Brad's experiences are real and he's actually reliving his life, travelling through the multiverse, or something similarly fantastic, but it's also suggested at one point that the potion is might just be giving him a particularly vivid dream.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Eventually, Brad figures out that he can only escape the cycle by finding a life he can be satisfied with; so, on his next iteration, he decides to live life ''exactly'' as he did originally without trying to change anything, eventually getting married, having children and winding up back in the same faltering job he had at the start of the story - and he ''finally'' wakes up on the morning after his fortieth birthday. Then he receives a phone call revealing that his project has gotten a second chance, and he can finally find a little hard-won success.]]
to:
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Eventually, Brad figures out that he can only escape the cycle by finding a life he can be satisfied with; so, on his next iteration, he decides to live life ''exactly'' as he did originally without trying to change anything, eventually meeting his future wife, getting married, having children starting the same family he had in his first life, and winding up back in the same faltering job he had at the start of the story - and he ''finally'' wakes up on the morning after his fortieth birthday. Then he receives a phone call revealing that his project has gotten a second chance, and he can finally find a little hard-won success.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* TimeLoopFatigue: The endless cycle of his life wears on Brad after a while, and the fact that it always begins with four decades of progress being undone doesn't help.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Eventually, Brad figures out that he can only escape the cycle by finding a life he can be satisfied with; so, on his next iteration, he decides to live life ''exactly'' as he did originally without trying to change anything, eventually getting married, having children and winding up back in the same faltering job he had at the start of the story - and he ''finally'' wakes up on the morning after his fortieth birthday. Then he receives a phone call revealing that his project has gotten a second chance.]]
to:
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Eventually, Brad figures out that he can only escape the cycle by finding a life he can be satisfied with; so, on his next iteration, he decides to live life ''exactly'' as he did originally without trying to change anything, eventually getting married, having children and winding up back in the same faltering job he had at the start of the story - and he ''finally'' wakes up on the morning after his fortieth birthday. Then he receives a phone call revealing that his project has gotten a second chance.]]chance, and he can finally find a little hard-won success.]]
* GroundhogDayLoop: The crux of the novel, with Brad living the first forty years of his life then waking up in the womb to do it all over again.
* GroundhogPeggySue: Brad frequently alters the course of his personal history in order to improve his life, but never manages to get it to stick thanks to his repeated rebirths - sending Brad on a centuries-long quest to discover how he can sever the loop.
* GroundhogDayLoop: The crux of the novel, with Brad living the first forty years of his life then waking up in the womb to do it all over again.
* GroundhogPeggySue: Brad frequently alters the course of his personal history in order to improve his life, but never manages to get it to stick thanks to his repeated rebirths - sending Brad on a centuries-long quest to discover how he can sever the loop.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
''Repeat'' is a 2015 science fiction novel by Neal Pollack.
Brad Cohen is not having a good time of things: a struggling writer with a family to provide for and a history of missed opportunities, he's just had his latest project turned down - ''and'' finds himself celebrating his fortieth birthday with a night-out he knows he can't afford. Convinced he's a loser, he suffers a breakdown that his wife (a wiccan) attempts to remedy by providing him with a potion that will supposedly make him feel better. Brad drinks it right before bedtime...
...and promptly wakes up in the womb, right back at the start of his life.
Now, Brad has a chance to relive his life the way he could have, this time knowing what opportunities to pursue and how to make the most of this second chance. In time, he becomes rich, famous and successful... but alas, he never manages to find his wife again, so it all rings hollow. Worse still, on his fortieth birthday, he finds himself falling asleep...
...and waking up in the womb all over again.
What follows is a journey across various iterations of history as Brad struggles to find a way to escape the endless cycle of rebirths and find a life that he can be satisfied with.
!!''Repeat'' provides examples of:
* BornAgainImmortality: Brad essentially "dies" on his fortieth birthday on every iteration and is reborn as a fetus.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Eventually, Brad figures out that he can only escape the cycle by finding a life he can be satisfied with; so, on his next iteration, he decides to live life ''exactly'' as he did originally without trying to change anything, eventually getting married, having children and winding up back in the same faltering job he had at the start of the story - and he ''finally'' wakes up on the morning after his fortieth birthday. Then he receives a phone call revealing that his project has gotten a second chance.]]
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's possible that Brad is actually travelling through the multiverse, but it's also suggested that the potion is just giving him a particularly vivid dream.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Over the course of numerous cycles, Brad grows increasingly depressed with the fact that he can't stay attached to a single lifetime, and spends one cycle emotionally destroyed.
Brad Cohen is not having a good time of things: a struggling writer with a family to provide for and a history of missed opportunities, he's just had his latest project turned down - ''and'' finds himself celebrating his fortieth birthday with a night-out he knows he can't afford. Convinced he's a loser, he suffers a breakdown that his wife (a wiccan) attempts to remedy by providing him with a potion that will supposedly make him feel better. Brad drinks it right before bedtime...
...and promptly wakes up in the womb, right back at the start of his life.
Now, Brad has a chance to relive his life the way he could have, this time knowing what opportunities to pursue and how to make the most of this second chance. In time, he becomes rich, famous and successful... but alas, he never manages to find his wife again, so it all rings hollow. Worse still, on his fortieth birthday, he finds himself falling asleep...
...and waking up in the womb all over again.
What follows is a journey across various iterations of history as Brad struggles to find a way to escape the endless cycle of rebirths and find a life that he can be satisfied with.
!!''Repeat'' provides examples of:
* BornAgainImmortality: Brad essentially "dies" on his fortieth birthday on every iteration and is reborn as a fetus.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Eventually, Brad figures out that he can only escape the cycle by finding a life he can be satisfied with; so, on his next iteration, he decides to live life ''exactly'' as he did originally without trying to change anything, eventually getting married, having children and winding up back in the same faltering job he had at the start of the story - and he ''finally'' wakes up on the morning after his fortieth birthday. Then he receives a phone call revealing that his project has gotten a second chance.]]
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's possible that Brad is actually travelling through the multiverse, but it's also suggested that the potion is just giving him a particularly vivid dream.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Over the course of numerous cycles, Brad grows increasingly depressed with the fact that he can't stay attached to a single lifetime, and spends one cycle emotionally destroyed.
