Submitted by Waldoggydog t3_127z3p1 in books

Have you ever been reading a book, and then in real life… something coincidentally happens which is either the same or similar to something which takes place in the book. Making you think of the quantum mechanics and whether reading the book made that happen or some sort of shift in your reality.

Some examples below as I’ve had a few moments, and wonder if others are jumping timelines through books too?

The ideal fuel source was a flat rubber sandal. When one of those rubber shoes was lit at one end, it burned evenly and slowly all the way to the other end.

  • Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

Very soon after reading this, on a walk.. in the middle of no where really, I saw a flipflop with its toes burnt and the remnants of a fire..

“There were two moons in the sky – a small moon and a large one. They were floating there side by side. The large one was the usual moon that she had always seen. It was nearly full, and yellow. But there was another moon right next to it. It had an unfamiliar shape. It was somewhat lopsided, and greenish, as though thinly covered with moss.” ― Haruki Murakami, 1Q84 #1-2

I was reading this while travelling in Indonesia, to an island called Gili Trawangan where the light polution is minimal and the stars and moon were vibrant in the sky.. but I swear for the first time ever I'd noticed two moons, I even asked others as I thought I was seeing things but they could see the reflection too. Gili Trawangan is also known as the Island of cats (dogs are literally banned, and there are SO MANY cats).. which brings me to my other coincidence... the Town of Cats is a part of the book too.

In fact, this is a town of cats. When the sun starts to go down, many cats come trooping across the bridge—cats of all different kinds and colors. They are much larger than ordinary cats, but they are still cats. The young man is shocked by this sight. He rushes into the bell tower in the center of town and climbs to the top to hide. The cats go about their business, raising the shop shutters or seating themselves at their desks to start their day’s work. Soon, more cats come, crossing the bridge into town like the others. - Haruki Murakami, 1Q84

There are many more, but one that encouraged this post was more recently I listened to Dark Matter by Blake Crouch as an audiobook, and a part in the book sees the main character entering into several dimensions and quantum leaping between time lines and versions of himself. A specific scene sees him go into the same shop multiple times, and the shopkeeper gets weirded out and tells him not to come back. But it’s actually multiple versions of himself… I went out for dinner that night and my order came to the table… around 5minutes into eating the same order arrived, and the waiter was about to put it down on the table again, when we said “but we already have that order?” They looked very confused, and so did we.. like they hadn’t just put the food down a few moments earlier.

I’d love to hear if anyone else has any examples of this happening to them? Unless I’m just going nuts!

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Jackflack42 t1_jegjtir wrote

I started reading the Stand in December 2019.

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SnowdriftsOnLakes t1_jegwomi wrote

A few years ago I was reading a historical fiction novel set in the 17th century on my way to work. During a particularly evocative chapter describing a rat infected with the bubonic plague arriving at the city, I raise my eyes from the book and glance out of the bus window... just to see a freaking rat run across the street. I don't think I've even seen a rat in my city till then, though I knew there were some.

Even more chilling? The book I was reading was set in the same city I was at.

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