Hannah Martin is twenty-nine and she still doesn't know
what she's
going to do with her life. She is going back to the only
home she knows, the place where her best friend Gabby
lives, in Los Angeles, where they both grew up. Hannah
cruises along the highway of life, she believes in doing
what pleases her at the moment, her head is in the
clouds. Gabby on the other hand has always had a purpose,
and her life turned out exactly how she planned it. A
week before the story begins, Hannah's life began
unravelling; she knows she needs to take control of her
life, but where to start? When Hannah and Gabby go out at
a bar, Hannah's high school boyfriend Ethan is there.
This is where MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE begins: what will
happen if Hannah goes home with Ethan, and what if she
doesn't?
I love "what-ifs", and with MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE, Ms.
Jenkins Reid has probably crafted one of the best books
in the genre. The characters are exceptionally well
drawn: Hannah and Gabby behave and talk like true
friends; I absolutely adored Gabby, and it is her story
as well as Hannah's. In MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE, there are
2 parallel stories: I would call one "the happy story":
which begins with a happy event, but a feeling of
impending doom hovers over it. With the other, "the sad
story", which starts dramatically, I had a feeling that
things would turn out alright, that happy times were
ahead. Some events overlap in both stories; some turn out
identically, others definitely not, but there are some
variables which remain constant, because that's how the
person in question really is, and nothing would change
it.
I really like that MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE is not divided
into chapters but rather one narrative flows into the
other at the same point in time, and sometimes it takes a
sentence or two before you know precisely which path you
are following; I found that exciting, not confusing, the
reason being that Hannah IS confused: Ms. Jenkins Reid
makes us see Hannah's world through her eyes, and we
experience her changes.
MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE is very well written, insightful,
intelligent, and I was impressed at how both stories are
meticulously crafted, seamless and convincing, and that
the characters remained true to themselves. Throughout
MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE, some profound thoughts are
uttered, and I caught myself re-reading them over and
over, stopping and thinking, and very much enjoying the
process.
Ms. Jenkins Reid achieved something quite remarkable:
while with most stories of that sort, you know at one
point what is going to happen, it feels inevitable, but
in MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE, both stories could be truly
independent and still be captivating. Ms. Jenkins Reid
kept me enthralled and guessing until the very end, which
is not really an end in itself, but merely the
consequences of one particular decision. I could almost
hope for more of Hannah and Gabby; I really love those
two friends.
From the acclaimed author of Forever, Interrupted and
After
I Do comes a breathtaking new novel about a young woman
whose fate hinges on the choice she makes after bumping
into
an old flame; in alternating chapters, we see two possible
scenarios unfold—with stunningly different results.
At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea
what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six
different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since
graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another
city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and
takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom.
Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a
bar
one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school
boyfriend, Ethan.
Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to
go.
A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if
she
wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she
leaves
with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?
In concurrent storylines, Hannah lives out the effects of
each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop
into radically different stories with large-scale
consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her.
As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in
Another Life raises questions about fate and true love: Is
anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined
by
chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a
thing as a soul mate?
Hannah believes there is. And, in both worlds, she
believes
she’s found him.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy