Cassandra in Reverse is a novel about a woman in her early 30s with a fascination for Greek mythology who has just been dumped by her boyfriend of 4 months and fired from her job in PR.

In that moment, something snaps and she gains the ability to go back in time. She becomes like her namesake from myth who could see into the future but was cursed to never be believed.

Cassandra begins to use her power to change her past, present and future and, in doing so, discovers who she is and who she wants to become.

That’s the gist of it. It’s a really well told story (with properly thought out time travel mechanics) that will keep you hooked and waiting with expectation to see what happens next.

Everything is too far away and too close at the same time, too loud and also too quiet; a yellow door, an orange can, a blue sliver of sky, a dropped navy glove, the red ring around a street sign; a kaleidoscope turning.

A pigeon flaps violently and I put my hands over my face.

It’s coming.

It’s coming and without my banana muffin there is nothing I can do to stop it.

Like a cathartic Greek myth, Cassandra in Reverse has high highs and low lows (and everything in between) that’ll make you smile and cry (or at least tear up a little if you’re an emotionally stunted man child like me hehehe).

Cassandra reads as autistic from page 1. The dust jacket describes the author as having received an autism diagnosis in 2021. From the very start, it’s obvious that Cassandra in Reverse is about autism.

All the challenges Cassandra faces at the start of the novel are the result of her being autistic and living in world (like our own) that is usually unfriendly and, sometimes, outright hostile to people who think and act differently than the majority (including autistic people).

As a fellow autist, I found Cassandra’s journey very relatable (not the “being able to control time” part but the “being an autist” part).

Reading through it and relating Cassandra’s struggles to my own gave me a boost of positive energy and good vibes that I was craving. There’s something magical about reading a book that feels purposefully written to cater to you and your interests.

Depictions of autism in media are mostly terrible. This skews the public perception of autism making it that much harder to get people to understand what it actually is and how it affects people.

Cassandra in Reverse portrays an autistic character so well that it serves as a crash course into what autism can look like. This depiction can allow readers to gain a better understanding of autism and, in doing so, might lead some readers down the path of diagnosis and, hopefully, a better life.

I can attest to the fact that being autistic and not knowing about it is one of the worst experiences I’ve lived through (not everybody lives through it).

Everything you do is wrong and you don’t understand why. People look at you funny and you don’t understand why. You have to fight tooth and nail for things that come naturally to other people.

It can negatively impact every single part of your life and it really sucks.

Once you understand what autism is and how it affects you, you can finally have a chance at leading a life of happiness instead of one of constant alienation.

If reading Cassandra in Reverse is what it takes to make someone go from not knowing about their autism to knowing about it then not only is it a well written novel that’ll make you FEEL THINGS (tm) but it’s also providing an invaluable service to humanity.

And so, I’m giving it 5 stars and nobody can stop me.