The Two Lives of Lydia Bird

          

The storylines in this book immediately resonated with me, as many of us have experienced the heartache of losing loved ones too soon, especially our significant others.

On Lydia's birthday. she is planning on having dinner with her fiancée Freddie and some friends. Freddie calls to say their friend's car broke down, he is on his way to pick him up promising to be on time for their dinner reservations.  

Shortly after the phone call there is a knock on the door.  Instead of being the love of her life, it is the police telling her there has been an accident. When Lydia rushes to the hospital, she learns that Freddie didn’t survive the accident, while their friend escaped with minor injuries.

Lydia can't sleep can't eat, can't cope.  The doctor prescribes little pink pills to help her sleep, but when she takes them her sleep state becomes an alternative universe. In her "asleep" life Freddie is alive.  But that life is very different from her real life and she has difficulty reconciling the two lives.  

Struggling to cope, Lydia can’t sleep or eat, and her doctor prescribes pink pills to help her rest. But sleep becomes its own escape—an alternative universe where Freddie is alive, yet her 'asleep' life is vastly different from reality. Reconciling these two worlds proves increasingly difficult.

This premise intrigued me, as dreams have always fascinated me. Often, my dreams feel richer and more vivid than real life. I’ve talked to friends and family about their own dreams and nightmares—many of which seem like they could form the basis of an incredible novel. (Pam) I’ve always meant to keep a notebook by my bed to jot them down, but somehow, I never do.

The author narrative does a wonderful job of exploring Lydia’s 'awake' and 'asleep' lives, which kept me hooked until the very last page. The clever premise and emotional depth make it a book worth trying—you might find yourself just as captivated as I was.