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A review by jacki_f
I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass
2.0
"I see you everywhere" is a story about two sisters, Louisa and Clem. Born three years apart, they are very different and have a complex relationship: irritated by one another but also strongly connected, turning to each other whenever they have crises in their lives. They take turns narrating the story and sometimes it's not clear for a while which sister is talking, although in time it settles to alternate by chapter.
The book spans 13 years, from 1980 through to 1993, with a final chapter set in 2005. Essentially it's a series of disjointed snapshots from the sisters' lives. I found it disconcerting that something momentous could happen in one chapter (a relationship foundering, a head injury causing amnesia), which barely if ever gets referred to again.
I really liked Glass's first novel, "Three Junes", but I was very disappointed by this book. It is a novel which is character driven not plot driven. Unfortunately the characters just aren't very sympathetic or involving. For the most part, I didn't care about any of them. In fact, I actively disliked them (with the exception of an elderly aunt who dies at the start of the book). Having said that, there is a significant event which takes place towards the end of the book (I don't want to give anything away here as it came as a major surprise to me), which made me realise that I cared more about these characters than I had previously thought.
I strongly considered giving up on this book at the 100 page mark, but I persevered. I kept hoping that it would get better and it did improve, but not enough for me to recommend it.
The book spans 13 years, from 1980 through to 1993, with a final chapter set in 2005. Essentially it's a series of disjointed snapshots from the sisters' lives. I found it disconcerting that something momentous could happen in one chapter (a relationship foundering, a head injury causing amnesia), which barely if ever gets referred to again.
I really liked Glass's first novel, "Three Junes", but I was very disappointed by this book. It is a novel which is character driven not plot driven. Unfortunately the characters just aren't very sympathetic or involving. For the most part, I didn't care about any of them. In fact, I actively disliked them (with the exception of an elderly aunt who dies at the start of the book). Having said that, there is a significant event which takes place towards the end of the book (I don't want to give anything away here as it came as a major surprise to me), which made me realise that I cared more about these characters than I had previously thought.
I strongly considered giving up on this book at the 100 page mark, but I persevered. I kept hoping that it would get better and it did improve, but not enough for me to recommend it.