Bel Reviews: Jessica Shirvington's - "Between the Lives"
Picture your day then picture the polar opposite of pretty much everything you are, and stick it in an alternate reality (which you live through every second day). You’re effectively living your days twice, but from completely different points of view. Confused yet? I hope not, because not only is this book amazing, it is going to be hitting my top 5 of the year at this stage.
Sabine lives two lives, a rich socialite, and a social misfit. One life is full of excess, the things a girl may want but doesn’t need, where as her other life is crammed with the things every girl needs, but may not want. When she goes to sleep she alternates between the two lives.
It isn’t until she breaks her arm, and it doesn’t transfer into her other life, that her brain starts to tick over about the opportunity to choose which life she’d like to lead. It certainly isn’t an easy life lives (?) to live, but which would you choose?
Jessica Shervington has completely messed with my head, and I don’t quite know why it affected me so much. I love Sabine. I love the other characters. I even loved the characters we were supposed to hate… (except that one poop head. I can never forgive him.) The relationships between characters are complex and believable. The situations ring true.
Though Between the Lives is set in the US, it could just as easily be set in the more affluent areas of any Aussie major city, and in contrast, any of the outer suburbs. I actually think it is a bit of a shame Jessica didn’t decide to give a nod to Sydney or Melbourne.
I honestly don’t think I’d enjoy living two lives, no matter which way you want to slice it.
Jessica Shirvington hit a home run with this gem of a book.
http://www.jessicashirvington.com/
Paperback, 336 pages
Published May 1st 2013 by HarperCollins Australia
ISBN 0732296269 (ISBN13: 9780732296261)
