I love ‘What If?’ novels, but they have to be done well in what can often be a saturated area in fiction. Throw in a healthy amount of time travel, across centuries in fact, a couple of main characters who just work so well together on the pages, and we just might have the perfect contender with Joe Heap’s ‘Life Number Nine.’
Have you ever locked eyes with a stranger and felt so very strongly that you know them? That’s the underlying story here and it’s simple enough but my goodness, told through the most beautiful of prose, across lifetimes, dreams and memories, this book is something else. It’s an incredible blend of speculative fiction with deep, emotional reality, offering a unique look at ‘What If.’
About the Book
Have you ever locked eyes with a stranger and felt that you know them?
When perfect strangers Mika and Jem first meet by chance, they recognise each other – not from life, but from a shared dream. Both are wary of forming new connections and have their demons to fight: Jem is in recovery from a near-fatal accident, and Mika is undocumented and under scrutiny from the authorities.
As their dreams – or are they memories? – grow in intensity, they are forced to consider the possibility that they have known and loved each other over and over, across the centuries. Will they find happiness together this time?
Moving from present-day London through eras and across continents, LIFE NUMBER NINE is an epic literary achievement and a groundbreaking love story.
About The Author
Joe Heap is an English author who resides in London. His poetry has been published in several journals and he was a winner of the 2004 Foyle Young Poet Award. He was a guest author at the 2018 Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Photo Credit: Philippa Gedge
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