Book Review; A Crack In The Line by Michael Lawrence

Summary:
A Boy: Alaric’s life has unraveled in the two years since he lost his mother in a terrible train crash. He and his father are barely speaking, and their home, Withern Rise, is in shambles.

A Girl: Naia tries not to dwell on the accident that nearly killed her mother two years ago, now that life with her parents at Withern Rise has returned to normal.

One and the Same: Alaric and Naia do not know each other, or that they are living nearly identical lives. But when they meet, their resemblance to each other is unmistakable. As their lives entwine, they uncover a truth that has the power to rearrange, or even erase, their very existence.

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What If

A Crack in the Line is a book that I read as a teenager and the story has stuck with me ever since. Thus I eventually decided to re-read it and am glad to report that I loved the book just as much the second time around. This book is a marvel in teen fiction as it poses some large and deep philosophical questions and that is one of the things I love most about it. This is a book that has the power to make you question everything. Needless to say I’m glad I re-read it and would highly recommend it to others.

You Discovered

This book is about parralel universes, and the consequences of decisions and small minute moments. It is deep, philosophical, entertaining, and emotional. The plot it really well thought-out. Where it could have become confusing, Michael has done a good job of essentially keeping it simple. The story keeps the concept from getting buried and makes it easy to follow. I really loved where this story takes you and how it eventually ends. It definitely made me want to read the next book straight away to find out what will happen now!

There Was More

One of the ways in which this story manages to be so readable and relatable is through two distinctly different, yet comparatively the same, characters. Naia and Alaric are the same person but as their lives are also different, they do have differences in their personalities. I really enjoyed the way the book jumps between the two and how eventually throughout the book they become more empathetic of each other, how much they connect with each other and where it all ultimately leads. I loved that Micheal didn’t just make this from the perspective of one but from them both. This made the style of the book incredibly easy to read and separate everything out in my head.

Than This Life

A Crack in the Line is a book that could very easily become confusing, especially when you imagine just how many parralel universes there could be for each and every different decision and statistic we go through in our lives. If only we got there a minute earlier, if only we had gone back to double check, etc. This book deals with the other side, the consequences our small actions can have on the larger things. It’s exciting, intriguing, and following the lives of two fascinating characters, truly moving as well. It keeps the reader hooked until the very end and then has them practically begging for more. It is definitely a book that I was happy to re-read, a trilogy I cannot wait to continue and one I would make sure you read.