I enjoyed it. I look forward to Keffy's stories, always a novel set, not just the same old thing. I didn't know about the wax eyes--cool element for a story about seeing the future. Traditionally, just about any kind of thing that can be expected to have a random distribution can be used for foretelling--entrails, tea leaves, scattered dust, etc, so vomited Peeps make about as much sense as anything else.
I thought this story tackled the difficulties of foretelling pretty well. It made sense that the earlier foretellings were much more accurate and crisp than the later ones. Because in the earlier ones he didn't realize he'd seen the future, he just thought he had a weird sugar-induced dream. Having a weird dream doesn't affect much of what you do. But once you realize that you are seeing things that will happen, then you want to see if you can change them. Once you realize you can change them, then AS you're watching you are already changing the future by seeing what you're seeing. You can't possibly see the future while understanding you're seeing the future and NOT change what you'll do.
I also thought it spoke well about addiction and gambling addiction in particular, and in a way that I understood more than straightforward descriptions of it. While of course I can get as obsessed about things, I am by nature very risk averse. I have gambled before, but usually just a buck or two on a whim. I've always liked the quote "gambling is a tax on people who are bad at math" because any organization that is hosting gambling is not doing it to make YOU rich no matter what their advertisements say, they're doing it to make themselves rich by leaching a bit from those who are willing to spare a bit, and by sucking dry those who don't know how to stop. They are a business, and like any other business they only survive if they make money, and they make money by holding up a bag of gold in front of your face while they pick your pocket.
Anyway, there are kinds of addictions that I can understand how people sink into, but gambling addiction is one that I haven't felt like I understood so well. But in this story, the situation as it was set up was so plausibly addicting. Especially the scene where he ALMOST gets to look at the newspaper. His odds in that moment seemed so much better than your average gambler, it would just take one--more--second--and arrggh! And he was so close that one time, it's bound to happen again, right? Well, since the times appear to be chosen randomly, and how often is one standing by a newspaper stand, probably not so great. So I thought the situation did a great job of illustrating to me how a thought process could trap one into gambling.
And obsession feeds into destruction feeds into obsession feeds into destruction. It was clear in that scene that he could affect the future, and that he was in control of that future self. So presumably when he gets to that time period, there will be past selves of his reaching forward and mucking about. Even IF he somehow gave up his habits, he could NEVER be free of that, because his future selves will be reaching forward and messing with his actions at random times. He might find himself holding a newspaper and staring at the lottery numbers and can never be free of that. Again, this is a great metaphor for what it can be like in real life. I have some friends in Alcoholics Anonymous and that organization at least makes their statement very clear that they are all "recovering" alcoholics, not "recovered" alcoholics, or "ex-alcoholics". Once you are an alcoholic, you are never not an alcoholic. If you want to be free of it, you can go to great lengths to try to stay that way, but your past self is always hovering behind you waiting for a chance to take control again.
I love Peeps. I know they're disgusting. But I also know it's possible to know that something is disgusting while simultaneously loving to eat it. I also love sausage. And topping toast with peanut butter and honey and Montreal steak seasoning.
