ONE LIFE. LIVED TWICE.
If you could look at one life in two different ways, what would you see?
Louis and Louise are separated by a single moment in time, a strike of chance that decided their future. The day they were born is when their story began.
In one, Louis David Alder is born a male.
In the other, Louise Dawn Alder is born a female.
Louis and Louise are the same in many ways – they have the same best friends, the same parents, the same dream of being a writer and leaving their hometown in Maine as soon as they can. But because of their gender, everything looks different. Certain things will happen in their lives to shape them, hurt them, build them back up again. But what will bring them back home?
A tender, insightful and timely novel about the things that bring us together – and those which separate us, from the author of Richard & Judy recommended book Together
About the Author: Julie Cohen grew up in the western mountains of Maine. Her house was just up the hill from the library and she spent many hours walking back and forth, her nose in a book. She studied English Literature at Brown University and Cambridge University and is a popular speaker and teacher of creative writing, including classes for The Guardian and Literature Wales. Her books have been translated into fifteen languages and have sold nearly a million copies; DEAR THING was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick. Julie lives in Berkshire with her husband, son and a terrier of dubious origin.
You can find Julie on Twitter: @julie_cohen or you can visit her website: www.julie-cohen.com.
My Review: I’m a huge fan of Julie Cohen both as a writer and person and one of her earlier books Dear Thing is still one of my favourite books, so when I saw that she’d written a new book that seemed to blow away all the bloggers I was eager to read it and I also choose it as the first book for my real-life book club which is meeting in March.
Reading the blurb, Louis & Louise appealed to me because it sounded intriguing, thought-provoking and original. A type of literary “sliding-doors”. One story told through two voices and Julie Cohen manages to weave a fascinating tale giving both Louis and Louise a credible voice.
Growing up in a small town called Casablanca both Louis & Louise have the same friends, the same goals and aspirations and dreams. However their world is shattered on Graduation Night when something catastrophic causes Louis & Louise to leave town and stay away for 13 years, until both are forced to return home and face issues they’ve tried to hide for over a decade.
This novel explores the differences in sexes, how our parents treat us differently, how society views us and reacts to situations based on gender. Without doubt this book will makes you think twice and whilst the world is certainly not perfect yet, there is hope that our future generations see beyond our gender and treat people for who they are rather than what’s between their legs.
