As 17-year-old Rosie Kenning watched helplessly as Huntington’s disease consumed her mother, as the mood swings and the chorea ravaged body and soul, one question haunted her: “Will this happen to me?”
The answer will change her life in ways she couldn’t possibly imagine. In the first of many unexpected plot twists, Rosie learns that there is no way she could possibly have Huntington’s, because Trudie Kenning wasn’t really her mother. Rosie was switched at birth with an abandoned baby that was sure to die. Desperate to find the mother and father she never knew, Rosie and her boyfriend, Andy, travel across the Atlantic in search of answers. The secrets and lies that they uncover will not only push their relationship to the brink but will also threaten to destroy the lives of those they have encountered along the way. An actress as well as a writer, debut novelist Dale clearly has a flair for the dramatic. Rosie's first-person account is punctuated by narration in another, mysterious voice; leaving this narrator unidentified contributes both to the building suspense and character development. All in all, it is a far cry from the typical disease novel. It reads the way a haunted house might, with the unexpected lurking behind every door.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2011
Review: Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale
Rosie is seventeen when her mother dies from Huntington's Disease. All she has left is her nana and Sarah, a family friend. Her boyfriend, Andy, has since broken up with her and gone off traveling. All of her friends have stopped talking to her because she shut herself off from the world to take care of her mom, Trudie. Nobody knows that her mom is sick, they all think she is an alcoholic and she is the town joke.When Trudie dies, Rosie is overwhelmed with fear that she has inherited the disease from her mom. She then learns that it is impossible for her to have it because she was not really Trudie's daughter, she was switched at birth.
We then follow Rosie as she travels from England to The United States in search of her birth mother. Since Andy is going traveling there, she sees this as the perfect opportunity. Unfortunately, things don't go to plan and some shocking secrets come out along the way.
I. Loved. This. Book. I read through this baby within 24 hours, stopping only because I have kids to take care of and a husband to pay attention to. All my free time was spent sitting in my chair cuddling up with my Nook and a blanket and just devouring this.
Books like these are my favorite, I love a good family drama. I think it reminds me that my life could always be worse. That's kind of sad, isn't it lol. There is so much going on in this book that you don't want to miss any of it. It is very intense.
The story alternates between two point of views: Rosie's, and another's who we aren't told who it is until later on in the book. I personally thought I had this one figured out, but nope! Fooled again. I really liked reading the alternating views from these two people, you were able to see both sides of the story up close.
We follow Rosie as she makes good and bad decisions and what happens in all over the characters' lives because of these decisions. At times I felt complete pity for her, but other times I just wanted to tell her to let it go and keep things to herself. She was a bit selfish at times, but I think anyone in her situation would be. Who wouldn't want to know the complete truth about why she was sent home with the wrong family and want to find her birth parents? I would probably make most of the same choices she did.
I hadn't ever heard of Katie Dale before, and I think she only has one other book published right now. But you bet I will be adding that one to my constantly-growing wish list! This book was so well written, it was more like having a conversation with someone than reading. Even though it was pretty long (400+ pages) it still went quickly.
I really can't tell you how much I enjoyed this book. I'll be reading anything and everything that this author comes out with. I will also be buying a copy of this when it is released since I received this from NetGalley.
One more thing: the cover! Love it, love it, LOVE IT. I love the colors, the font and even the color of the model's dress. It is simple, yet gorgeous.
Now go add this to your wish list and preorder a copy as soon as you can :)
