The Other Year
The Other Year by Rea Frey, published by HarperCollins Focus in 2023, is a contemporary women’s fiction novel that delves into the complexities of motherhood and the impact of pivotal moments in life. The story follows Kate Baker, a working mom whose life is turned upside down when her nine-year-old daughter, Olivia, briefly vanishes while they are on a beach vacation. This heart-stopping incident leads to two parallel timelines: one where Olivia resurfaces and another where she does not, forcing Kate to navigate the depths of grief and the challenges of love in both realities.
Readers will find a poignant exploration of family life, loss, and resilience as Kate grapples with her circumstances. In one timeline, she faces the aftermath of her daughter’s death, while in the other, she navigates a complex relationship with her best friend, Jason, and confronts her past with her ex-husband. The Other Year intricately weaves together themes of hope and despair, highlighting the fragile balance between joy and sorrow in the human experience. This edition spans 338 pages and is presented in English, making it accessible for a wide audience.
Official synopsis Publisher
2023 Target Book of the Year Finalist
Perfect for fans of Rebecca Serle’s One Italian Summer and Josie Silver’s The Two Lives of Lydia Bird.
Can the entire course of a life be traced back to a single instant? And can hope be found in every moment after?
On a coveted two-week beach vacation, working mom Kate Baker’s nine-year-old daughter, Olivia, vanishes suddenly among the waves–a heart-dropping incident that threatens to uproot her entire reality. But in the next moment, Olivia resurfaces, joyously splashing.
What would I do if she didn’t come up? Kate wonders. How would I live without her?
In another set of circumstances that hold a different fate, Kate doesn’t have to wonder. Because in that “other” world, in the pulse-pounding seconds after Olivia goes under, she doesn’t come back up.
Told in parallel timelines, Kate begins to live two lives–one in which Olivia resurfaces and one in which she doesn’t. In the reality that follows her daughter’s death, she maneuvers through every mother’s worst nightmare, facing grief, rage, and the question of purpose in the aftermath of such profound loss. She endures, day by day, in a world without her daughter.
In her alternate timeline, while she explores a tremulous romance with her best friend, Jason, she finds herself grappling with the ex-husband who abandoned Kate and Olivia years prior. Even as Kate scrambles to hold her daughter close, Olivia pulls further away. The line between joy and loss seems to get thinner with each passing day.
Woven into a single story, both Kates discover a breathtaking fragility and resilience in their respective journeys. Bringing to light the drastic polarities dire circumstances often create, The Other Year explores truths about love, loss, and the sharp turns any life can take in the blink of an eye.
“In this world-altering women’s fiction novel, single mother Kate Baker looks away for a single moment, only to lose sight of her daughter in the ocean. As a result, her world splits into two separate realities: one where she gets to keep being a mother and the other where she doesn’t. The message is clear: Love your people. A tear-jerker with heart.” –Brenda Novak, New York Times bestselling author
“Tenderly observed and heartfelt. Raw and emotional. The Other Year is sure to strike a chord with readers everywhere.” –Josie Silver, New York Times bestselling author
- Contemporary women’s fiction
- Stand-alone novel
- Book length: 95,000 words
- Includes discussion questions for book clubs
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