Book Review – Signs Of Life

by Anna Raverat (Picador) ISBN 978-1-4472-0237-0

This is an unusual read, written in an unusual way but the way the story is told is mind-blowing.

The relevant poetry fits the story like a glove. This is all our lives, as they could be or have been, told in a way that is so easy to read, that you do wonder if it is a confession of sorts. Although the author denies this, you can understand why she feels that way. She writes so close to the bone.

Two love affairs overlap, the one is hidden from the other. The story of the one lover’s cat Molly is so heart-warming that you can feel the warmth of the sunlight on her sleeping body, and know why Rachel kicks of her shoes and curls up next to the cat after work.

This story explores how love happens and how your ego gets caught up in it. Finishing the one affair is so difficult for Rachel but more so for Marc whose desperation to win her back causes him to become violent. Every sentence has you glued to what is happening and there is always a surprise.

Anna Raverat’s writing is honest and gives you an insight into her life, I think. She is brilliant. One cannot praise her enough. You will want more. And in the end she could be all of us caught up in lives we do not actually choose but lives that we live nonetheless.

Do not miss this book. It is the beginning of a new writing that opens your eyes and mind to Life.

Dee Andrew
5/5