Between the Lives (Jessica Shirvington, HarperCollins)

Sabina is no ordinary 16-year-old girl. On alternate days, she wakes up in a different life. In one, she’s a popular socialite with a rich family and a ‘perfect’ boyfriend. In the other, her family is doing it tough and she feels like a social outcast. Sabina longs for the simplicity of just one life, and it’s a no-brainer which one she would choose. When she plots a rash escape by suiciding in one life, things go horribly wrong. Then she meets somebody who teaches her just how precious life is. Between the Lives may be based on a corny premise but Jessica Shirvington’s world is convincing. It’s also perfectly pitched for the target market of teenage girls looking for some escapism through fantasy and romance. It does, however, deal with some heavy themes, including suicide, domestic violence and losing one’s virginity, so it may not be suitable for younger readers. Shirvington has had considerable success with her ‘Embrace’ series, which has been picked up by Steven Spielberg for a television series adaptation in the US. Though Shirvington is an Aussie, Between the Lives is set in the US, and while it’s great for kids to be reading fiction with a local setting, I say hats off to Shirvington for making it big overseas.

Hannah Francis is a bookseller at the Younger Sun Bookshop in Yarraville

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews