By 
Wow! “The Other Year” by Rea Frey is a unique, intriguing, and captivating novel with alternate versions of the same timeline. The author asks, “Can the entire life course be traced back to a single moment?” The feeling of this book reminds me of the movie, “Sliding Doors” with Gwyneth Paltrow, with film alternatives between two storylines, showing the two paths the central character’s life could take depending on whether she catches a train”(1998).
In this well-written novel, the author vividly describes the scenery, the lifestyle, and the colorful and dramatic alternate versions of the characters’ lives. In just a blink of an eye, while Kate Blank is on her cellphone, her daughter Olivia vanishes in the ocean waves. In one version, Olivia reappears, and all seems well. In the other version, Olivia goes under and doesn’t come up. The characters are described as complex and complicated.
I appreciate how the author discusses the importance of family, friends, love and hope. This is a memorable and thought-provoking novel that I would highly recommend to other readers.
Linda's Book Obsession: 