Ok, so let's get the elephant in the room out of the way. Harry August lives his life again and again, isn't that the same as Kate Atkinson's 'Life After Life'? I hear you say. No. This book is a different beast, and yes, much better!
This book is a gripping thriller about a man who is reborn again after each time he dies with the memory of what has happened to him intact. It also has a sprinkling of quantum physics, a 70's cliché style bond villain, and yet reads as believably as an Alan Furst novel!
Claire North (whoever that turns out to be, and I’ve been discussing this with a few people as to who they think it might be and our best guesses at the moment are Charlie Higson or Anthony Horowitz) has written a very engaging book that that has you liking and supporting the main character (Harry) from the first page and throughout his trials and tribulations.
With each re-birth Harry remembers everything of his previous lives and isn't content to doing the same things over and over again (where he doesn't have to) and so weaves multiple story threads through the narrative of his current life that are all interesting and don't outstay their welcome.
Some books that have a big buzz around them I tend to avoid, knowing that the build up they've got will only leave me disappointed. This book sounded so intriguing that I just had to give it a go, and I'm so glad I did, and so will you.
If this book isn't in your book of the year list, you haven't read it yet!
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