The Other Life by Ellen Meister

February 17, 2011 by Putnam Adult

Hardcover, 320 Pages

Review Copy (ARC)

Review

I think “What If…..” is a universal question. Who hasn’t wanted to rewind, go back and make a switch, reverse a decision or have a re-do? Well what if you could slip through a crack in the wall, breach a parallel universe and live the life you didn’t choose? That’s exactly the power Quinn has, a power she’s had since birth, but has never used until this moment….

Quinn has been blessed with a loving husband, an adoring son and a soon-to-be baby. Life couldn’t be any sweeter, nor could the decision to change her life tempt her. All that changes when the happy couple is faced with devastating news about their baby, a baby who will be born with severe deformities, a chance of death before its even born or a chance at a life full of difficulties. The outlook is almost hopeless and Quinn is left with a decision to go to term with the child or abort, which in the end is just to hard of a choice to make and to escape her responsibilities Quinn remembers her secret, her portal, her escape. As a reader, this is where I became fascinated and frustrated with Quinn, on one hand we see her escape, we see what life could have been, which isn’t that great in the love department with boyfriend Eugene, but holds her there due to her mother who she lost to suicide in her “real” life. On the other side her husband, son and unborn child await and the question I kept asking was how could she leave them? How could she go through those portals pregnant and not worry about the child inside her? It was interesting to see her inner struggle about her own mother and being a mother, her intense desire for Eugene and yet her deep love for Lewis, which almost begged the question as to choosing between love and passionate desire. As the date for a decision gets closer, Quinn’s portal jumps become more frequent and as her baby and belly grow the portal begins to close inch by inch, making it more difficult to get back home. She’s anchored to her son but also wants to keep her mother and as Quinn risks her chance again and again she may wind up in a place she never wanted to be, losing everything and everyone in the process.

I seriously loved reading Quinn’s story, while her character most certainly could have used a bit more fleshing out and I would have liked to understand her better, I found the story intriguing and on the edge worthy, trying to figure out if this “crack” in the world was real for Quinn, if she really slipped thorough a portal to another life or if this crack was a fissure in her own mind, splitting her into madness. The novel explores love, marriage, mother/daughter relationships and the scar tissue of suicide and mental illness. An overall stunning story with a mix of light, dark and twisted, making the love triangle unpredictable and different. Meister has cast a spell on me and I cant wait for more.

Rating

The Other Life is recommended to adult readers and contains: Violence, language, sexuality (mild-graphic) Pregnancy issues, topics on abortion, infidelity and birth defects, romance, death, suicide, bi-polar disorders and mental health issues.

5/5- Women's Contemporary Fiction

Thanks to Publisher and tlc for review copy