Review by Sheba Samuel
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Pages: 271
Price: Rs. 756.
Imagine. You wake up one day and stand in front of the mirror. The reflection looks a bit like you but may be its tall or totally different. What would you do? This is such a story.
The protagonist Naomi Porter is on her summer vacation still meeting at the school who was her best friend. The duo was to be the co editors of their School’s yearbook. Naomi just remembers that she has left the school’s $4,000 camera inside. She rushes down the steps and unfortunately on her way back trips and falls down. She saves the camera but he lands on her head by the stairs.
While on her way to the Hospital in the ambulance Naomi regains consciousness but seems to have forgotten the past four years of her life. All she remembered was her sixth grade and that was all. She misses out so many things. She couldn’t remember her parents divorce, moving to a new house, her body changes etc. She doesn’t even remember her best friends.
Naomi , now is different she doesn’t like the group of people who say that they are her best friends, she doesn’t like the food she usually eats and dislikes so many things she used to like. And most of all she tries to trace out the past years by every means but all her efforts are in vain. Just then Naomi discovers it is time to reinvent the past 4 years of her life and so she begins starts a new day with everything she likes. So what more read the book and get mixed up with her fascinating actions.
The author Gabrielle Zeeve , who has written many novels on after life which includes her debut novel elsewhere.