The Versions of Us

Starred review from January 11, 2016
British journalist Barnett’s debut novel imagines the delicious prospect of romantic do-overs, cleverly negotiating the tricky and often dizzying terrain of three versions of first love. Eva and Jim first cross paths in 1958, and in “Version One,” aspiring writer Eva’s bike runs over a nail and law student Jim fixes it, with the pair falling instantly in love and marrying. In “Version Two,” Eva’s bike misses the nail, and she marries her actor boyfriend, David. “Version Three” starts similarly to the first version, but this time, Eva leaves Jim when she discovers she’s pregnant with David’s child. The stories and careers variously unfold across 50 years—the “Version Two” Eva and Jim finally meet in 1963 in New York—with parents aging, children growing up and moving on, spouses moving in and out, with Eva’s writing and Jim’s painting flourishing or withering depending on the version. The constants are love and death—and the portraits of Eva that Jim has drawn. In the first version, Eva views the one portrait as a “version of her. His version, or the version she once offered him.” In the second version, a 1977 triptych depicts “three couples. Three lives. Three possible versions,” a reminder of Jim’s declaration that “you were there with me all along.” In the third version, the painting feels like something Jim had long ago forgotten. Barnett’s evocative presentation is a masterly romantic study of love’s choices and consequences, leaving wide open just what constitutes a perfect ending. Agent: Sally Wofford-Girand, Union Literary.

December 1, 2015

Sparks fly when Eva and Jim meet on a street in Cambridge, England, but then journalist/theater critic Barnett gives us options. Do they kiss or turn away; get together briefly, marry quickly, or reconnect only after years apart? The book as a whole must be good; it's been sold to 13 countries and has a 100,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2016

Taking a leaf from Kate Atkinson's Life After Life, this touching novel looks at three different ways the lifelong romance between artist Jim Taylor and writer Eva Edelstein might have turned out. It begins with a chance meeting at Cambridge University in 1958 and then follows the pair over the years until the present. Jim and Eva marry, or maybe Eva marries the vain actor David Katz. Through the decades, they have various relationships that are both troubled and happy, bear a number of children, and endure plenty of family drama in England, Italy, France, and California. This clever and imaginative novel with intriguing characters presents three equally engaging stories. Yet switching among the three versions can become so confusing that readers may wish for a genealogy chart to keep everyone straight. VERDICT Reading this ambitious first novel is like putting together the pieces of a complex puzzle. The challenge pays off--only when the puzzle is complete can readers see the whole panoramic picture. [See Prepub Alert, 11/9/15.]--Leslie Patterson, Rehoboth, MA

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.