On an otherwise mundane Monday morning in 1986, the universe split in two, a bifurcation that gave life to a second universe: "Universe B." The surprisingly not-so-cataclysmic split is known as "Y-day," given that both Universe A and B stem from the same timeline but then diverge, allowing for subtle differences between the two. Felix's favorite lunch spot, The Coconut CafÃ©, may exist in both realities and serve the same soup, but that soup might not taste the same to Felix in Universe B as it does in A. Of course, in order to taste such a difference, travel between universes would have to be possible, and in Regarding Ducks, it's not only possible--it's actually commonplace. It's become so common, in fact, that travelers pass along tips like The Lunch Place Rule, warning others of the disappointment in trying to visit familiar haunts in both universes and expecting the same result (or taste).
The government, however, issued far more stringent rules and regulations to make sense of this event and to guarantee the safety and privacy of the populations settled in both universes. Any character born before Y-day in Universe A has a double, or "alter," living in Universe B--and meeting this alter violates the Department of Information's laws. But the further a character is born after Y-day, the less likely it is he or she has an alter in Universe B. This is where Felix's troubles begin, as he was born after Y-day, or so he thought. A revealing photograph soon sends him on a universe-hopping adventure to find his supposed alter, a doppelganger who may or may not have already written the book Felix has always meant to write and who may or may not be trying to kill him.
Regarding Ducks and Universes is not "hard sci-fi," meaning its main focus isn't explaining the "hows" of Y-day or the ability to travel back and forth between universes. Sure, it has to make sense and it certainly does--the author has a Ph.D. from Stanford's STAR (Space, Telecommunications, and Radioscience) Lab, after all--but Regarding Ducks has more in common with Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy than, say, Star Trek in terms of tone. It's a fun premise that gives its characters the ability to look at the choices they made in one universe and how they might have turned out differently in another, even if the alternative is as subtle as a spoonful of soup. It's the ultimate "What If?"--a question readers may ask themselves every day, but it's rarely one with the consequences that threaten Felix.
And as for the "ducks" promised in the title? Well, I can say there is a particularly important one, and it's made of rubber. But in order to discover more, you'll have to travel to the universe(s) created by author Neve Maslakovic. Thankfully, your journey is only a single click away.