8 May 2016

The Post-Birthday World - by Lionel Shriver

Bottom line: this was among the best books that I have read in a while. The story is not overly complex, but very well crafted. The structure of the book was intriguing. At the end of the first chapter Irina has to make a decision, which can go two different ways. Each subsequent chapter describes the events in two different universes in which each possible decision was enacted. It sounds confusing, but [for me, anyway] is actually quite straightforward to follow. I was fascinated to find out how the two threads might be brought together at the end of the book. The answer is: brilliantly.

The characters in the book are well drawn and the overall quality of the writing is excellent. The author thoroughly succeeds in her intention to make the readers think about the consequences of decisions in their lives. I will certainly be returning to this author’s work and I am rather tempted to pre-order her next book, which will be published in a few days.

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