title: The End of Mr. Y
author:  Scarlett Thomas 
description: In Thomas's dense, freewheeling novel, Ariel Manto, an oversexed renegade academic, stumbles across a cursed text, which takes her into the Troposphere, a dimension where she can enter the consciousness, undetected, of other beings. Thomas first signals something is askew even in Ariel's everyday life when a university building collapses; soon after, Ariel discovers her intellectual holy grail at a used book shop: a rare book with the same title as the novel, written by an eccentric 19th-century writer interested in "experiments of the mind." The volume jump-starts her doctoral thesis, but her adviser disappears. And when Ariel follows a recipe in the book, she finds herself in deep trouble in the Troposphere. Her young ex-priest love interest may be too late to save her. Thomas blithely references popular physics, Aristotle, Derrida, Samuel Butler and video game shenanigans while yoking a <i>Back to the Future</i>like conundrum to a gooey love story. The novel's academic banter runs the gamut from intellectually engaging to droning; this journey to the "edge of consciousness" is similarly playful but less accessible than its predecessor, <i>PopCo</i>. <i>(Oct.)</i> <br />Copyright  Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
zlib_text: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/00001.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  DEDICATION
  
  For my dear friends, far and near,
  
  who provide support and encouragement
  
  day in and day out.
  
  I couldn’t do this without you
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect,
  
  but *actually* from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint –
  
  it's more like a big ball of
  
  wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff.”
  
  ~ Steven Moffat, Doctor Who
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  1
  
  August 15, 2013
  
  In the Scottish Borders
  
  Give’em what they want.
  
  It had been her father’s mantra from the moment fame descended upon her. Which
  was, in fact, about the same time that what she wanted ceased to matter.
  
  “Miss Thomas! Miss Thomas! Over here!”
  
  Scarlett turned and flashed a practiced smile for the photographer. Putting on
  a pleasant public face when one was burdened by jet lag was an acting skill
  Scarlett Thomas had yet to fully master, but the crowd seemed pleased enough
  by her performance.
  
  “Miss Thomas, how does it feel to be back at D