This is an ambitious 500 page novel that was very reminscient of the movie Sliding Doors, which follows Gwyneth Paltrow’s character through two parallel stories depending on whether or not she catches a certain train in London’s Underground. Shriver takes a basically happily married woman and tracks how her life would change if she went off with the dishy but selfish snooker player Ramsey, or stayed with her solid but rather dull husband Lawrence. It’s not giving anything away to mention that both choices are rife with problems and disappointments. But this novel is not chicklit - it's a very moving reminder of all the minute, daily details of life, crafted into both narratives - the little things one forgets and regrets in the throes of an unexpected passion or a fear that somehow life is passing one by. Irina is a children’s book illustrator, and Shriver is particularly clever about envisioning the two different types of children’s books she ends up writing in her dual storylines. A highly enjoyable read; in the hundreds of “what-if” possibilites we encounter daily, it’s good to have a little fictional re-enforcement about trusting our gut instincts and accepting the outcome of our choices.
This book also reminds me of John Mighton’s play Possible Worlds (made into a movie with Tilda Swinton and Tom McCamus) which also depicted a strange love story in parallel narratives. Which reminds me to get cracking on the manuscript of his new book, The End of Ignorance due out in May - it’s a look at improving some of current methods of teaching in our schools - more about that later, as well as a review of a BIG Canadian novel that I just finished reading but can’t talk about yet…
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