Review: The Coincidence Makers

The Coincidence Makers
Yoav Blum
Published March 6, 2018

In this genre-bending novel, there is no such thing as chance and every action is carefully executed by highly trained agents. You’ll never looks at coincidences the same way again.

What if the drink you just spilled, the train you just missed, or the lottery ticket you just found was not just a random occurrence? What if it’s all part of a bigger plan? What if there’s no such thing as a chance encounter? What if there are people we don’t know determining our destiny? And what if they are even planning the fate of the world?

Enter the Coincidence Makers—Guy, Emily, and Eric—three seemingly ordinary people who work for a secret organization devoted to creating and carrying out coincidences. What the rest of the world sees as random occurrences, are, in fact, carefully orchestrated events designed to spark significant changes in the lives of their targets—scientists on the brink of breakthroughs, struggling artists starved for inspiration, loves to be, or just plain people like you and me…

When an assignment of the highest level is slipped under Guy’s door one night, he knows it will be the most difficult and dangerous coincidence he’s ever had to fulfill. But not even a coincidence maker can see how this assignment is about to change all their lives and teach them the true nature of fate, free will, and the real meaning of love.

The Coincidence Makers is so difficult for me to review, because it's hard to find the words to describe it. It's a little bit science fiction, it's a little bit fantasy - and at its core, it's actually a love story.

Guy, Emily, and Eric are Coincidence Makers - they are secret agents who make changes in the world by setting up coincidences.  They're not really "changing" the world - they're nudging things into the places they are supposed to be.  Like, if an accountant is meant to be a famous poet - the Coincidence Makers will orchestrate occurrences to make sure inspiration strikes.  The whole book was such an interesting look at the debate of fate versus free will.  If there are people like this working behind the scenes, is any part of our life really up to us?  Or does it not matter, because they are helping us get to where we are meant to be?

Guy is the main Coincidence Maker we follow.  Before this job, he worked as an Imaginary Friend, which is exactly what you're thinking.   During one of his many stints, he meets another Imaginary Friend, Cassandra, and the two improbably fall in love.  After it ends, Guy resigns himself to a life without love, for himself at least.  As a Coincidence Maker, he's pretty low-level and does a lot of matchmaking coincidences, helping other people meet and fall in love.   After one such assignment, he is next given the task of working on part of a very high-level mission, and his life is sent on a very different course.

When I first started reading the book, I thought the writing seemed simplistic, almost sparse, but the further I got into the book, I began to realize that was actually kind of deceiving.  The writing and the story all got deeper as the book went on - at times I even felt like it was too "smart" for me!

The story was perfectly plotted and paced.  I loved seeing how the Coincidence Makers work, all the planning and precision that goes into their assignments.  As the story progresses and more layers are revealed about Guy's new assignment, I couldn't help but smile.  The creativity that Blum brought to the book, the world-building he incorporated, and the way the ending played out were masterful.  So unique, so original, and such an unconventional love story.

4.5 stars