The Other Year by Rea Frey
Contemporary, Magical Realism, 352 pages
Published August 15, 2023 by Harper Muse
Can the entire course of a life be traced back to a single moment?
On a coveted two-week beach vacation, working mom Kate Baker’s nine-year-old daughter, Olivia, vanishes suddenly among the waves—a heart-dropping incident that threatens to uproot her entire reality. But in the next moment, Olivia resurfaces, joyously splashing.
What would I do if she didn’t come up? Kate wonders. How would I live without her?
In another set of circumstances that hold a different fate, Kate doesn’t have to wonder. Because in that “other” world, in the pulse-pounding seconds after Olivia goes under, she doesn’t come back up.
Told in parallel timelines, Kate begins to live two lives—one in which Olivia resurfaces and one in which she doesn’t. In the reality that follows her daughter’s death, she maneuvers through every mother’s worst nightmare, facing grief, rage, and the question of purpose in the aftermath of such profound loss. She endures, day by day, in a world without her daughter.
In her alternate timeline, while she explores a tremulous romance with her best friend, Jason, she finds herself grappling with the ex-husband who abandoned Kate and Olivia years prior. Even as Kate scrambles to hold her daughter close, Olivia pulls further away. The line between joy and loss seems to get thinner with each passing day.
Woven into a single story, both Kates discover a breathtaking fragility and resilience in their respective journeys. Bringing to light the drastic polarities dire circumstances often create, The Other Year explores truths about love, loss, and the sharp turns any life can take in the blink of an eye.
“In this world-altering women's fiction novel, single mother Kate Baker looks away for a single moment, only to lose sight of her daughter in the ocean. As a result, her world splits into two separate realities: one where she gets to keep being a mother and the other where she doesn't. The message is clear: Love your people. A tear-jerker with heart.” —Brenda Novak, New York Times bestselling author
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)
First lines—"The Red flag ripples in the wind. Olivia is all business, her body primed for the impending crush of waves."
What if you could see what your life would be like if things went a different way in a specific situation? That's the predicament Kate finds herself in when she and her daughter are enjoying a two-week vacation at the beach. In one life, she is trying to get through each day without her daughter, in her other world, she finds herself dealing with a lot of different drama.
I loved the way this story was told, with two different scenarios or timelines, not knowing which one would win in the end. I ached for Kate when she felt like she couldn't go on without Olivia. And enjoyed the life she had with Olivia, even with all of the teenage angst that her daughter brought to her world. It made me stop and think about how different our lives can be in a snap of the finger.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Other Year, as I have all of Rea Frey's books. This is one I will remember and think about for a long time. Highly recommend it!
I received an eARC of The Other Year via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
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About the author
Rea Frey is the award-winning, bestselling author several nonfiction books and four suspense novels. Her latest women's fiction/magical realism novel, The Other Year, hits bookstores in August.
Known as The Book Doula, Rea helps other writers birth their books into the world. To learn more, visit reafrey.com ~ Goodreads
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