by Lorraine (link)
Genre het, drama, romance, comedy
Pairings Isaac/OFC, Taylor/OFC, Zac/OFC
Length 17 chapters
Status Completed
In spite of the fact that it never made it onto my radar as anything resembling a “classic,” I’ve seen quite a few contemporary recommendations for Is Yesterday Tomorrow Today?. If it was popular in its time, especially with well-known authors, I hope it will hold up today in spite of being unknown now.
I’m immediately thrown off by what seem like Britishisms, as well as a few misused words. Lorraine’s writing is a bit dry and like it’s trying too hard to sound mature, but that could be a side effect of the aforementioned Britishness. It’s not enough to put me off the story entirely, as the narrative voice is a bit novel and humorous, in spite of its problems.
If I had one word to describe Is Yesterday Tomorrow Today?, it would be quaint. Blame the Britishisms for some of that, but the story focuses on domestic drama and teen drama in a way that only early hanfic could. Even when Lorraine includes more serious issues–underage drinking, sex–they don’t turn into melodrama but neither are they callous. They’re just sort of there, excluding the rather unbelievable climax.
The characterization, too, is a bit shallow. Each of the Hansons feel distinct enough, but the supporting cast all slots neatly into teen drama stereotypes–female best friend, dumb jock boyfriend, slutty girlfriend, etc. Lorraine clearly knew her genre well and she nails or nearly nails most of the tropes (although some seem a bit too close to stories I’ve read before). It’s never quite enough to make Is Yesterday Tomorrow Today? stand out from the crowd, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Review by Bethany (website)