Consider the Consequences

Consider the Consequences, originally published in 1930, is thought to be the first gamebook, a genre which you might know better as a “choose your own path” book, or “a choice-based branching narrative”, or interactive fiction. It was written by Doris Webster & Mary Alden Hopkins, and I found out about it because Pushkin Press reprinted it last year. I had a blast with it. There are three stories included, with lead characters that appear in the other plots. One storyline is about Helen, who has to choose whether to marry the charming ne’er-do-well or the steady businessman or get a job in the big city. The next covers Jed, the rake, and his over-dependence on his mother. The third picks up with the businessman and his choices around work or family or marriage or government corruption. It fascinated me, particularly because of the expectations of the thirties and what characters should or shouldn’t do, and the lack of life options in many cases. (Although in amongst the 43 endings, there are illegitimate pregnancies and divorces!) I also liked that the various branches are charted out at the beginning of the sections, although only Helen’s story has repeated pages (those that ...