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The past, present, and future collide in a DC Metro elevator as three women get caught up in a gripping time-traveling tale of memory, emotion, and unspoken truths about their shared history.
When Emilia Fletcher finds herself trapped inside a Washington, DC Metro elevator, getting out is the least of her problems. Sharing the confined space with her are Em, a troubled teenager plagued by suicidal thoughts, and Millie, an elderly woman yearning to mend ties with her estranged daughter. As the hours drag on, hunger, exhaustion, and panic set in, revealing an almost incomprehensible truth: they are the same person. Locked in an uncompromising match of memories, the three women excavate and attempt to reckon with the shared shame and suffering stemming from an unresolved trauma that has cast a profound shadow over their lives. Brimming with biting humor, compassion, and quick-witted insight, JUST EMILIA is remarkable journey of self-discovery.
For anyone who has ever wanted to confront their past and future selves, author Jennifer Oko delivers a rather unique time-travel story.
Just Emilia features three people who get on an elevator in Washington, DC, that malfunctions. Through the unfolding storyline, readers are introduced to Emilia, her younger self, Em, and her future self, Millie. The twist is that the characters believe they are in their corresponding times of 2017, 1987, and 2047.
What ensues is an introspective examination of their shared memory centering around a tragedy with a devastating impact. Together, they employ a three-dimensional approach to examine relationships and embrace each new day.
Using the three variations of the main character’s name helps readers keep track of the action, but it does require attention to detail.
Just Emilia offers an opportunity for a woman to confront her past and future selves in an unusual time-travel story.
Jennifer Oko is a writer, journalist, and filmmaker. Her memoir, Lying Together, was a New York Times Book Review “Editor’s Choice.” She is also the author of two previous novels; Gloss, a satire of morning television which was a USA Today “Hot Summer Read,” and Head Case, a comic mystery about psycho-pharmaceutical trafficking which she swears is not autobiographical in any way. She lives in Washington, DC with her family.
