Review: Different Type Book But Still Great
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 15, 2013
I received this book free from Library Thing to read and review. Before I began reading this novel, I did not pay close enough attention to the introduction, where the author noted that he had written a short prequel to the novel.  However, before I go too far along, I realized this and went back to read the prequel, which was free at Amazon. Since it set the stage and provided some background on the characters, I was glad I did because this made the story make more sense.  I found the concept behind this book fascinating.  We all have had "What If's", only in this case the author lets the reader see what would have happened if the characters had followed through on them as well as seeing what the characters actually did choose to do. The author has kept the number of characters, their lives and such very simple, which is good and is probably necessary because of the continual shifting between what is and what might have been.  In the book, I sometimes did wish that the author had made a better, clearer distinction between the parallel lives.  Perhaps a new chapter might have helped me transition better, since I sometimes found myself a bit confused as where I really was, which story I was reading about. The settings were simple enough to not get caught up in what was going on or where you were as you read. Still, I sometimes did get caught up in just that. As the story unfolds, the reader sees how the four characters go through life as two couples live regular lives--or more, if you count the parallel lives in the book. I definitely grew to like Bella and Clark more than the other two characters, especially Beki, who seemed uncaring and distant.  How different Clark's two female companions ended up being!  Finally, I though the ending was somewhat abrupt, though not all that unpredictable. This book was quite a good book, with a novel plot concept. If the reader is looking for something that is a bit different but with many well known themes and sub-plots, this one may just hit the mark. After reading this, I am curiously awaiting what the author will produce next.