The Other Life
What if you could return to the road not taken?
Quinn Braverman is keeping two secrets from her loving husband, Lewis. One is that the real reason she chose him over Eugene, her neurotic, semi-famous ex-boyfriend, was to prove to her mother that she couldhave a happy, stable relationship with the guy next door.
The other is that Quinn knows another life exists in which she made the other choice and stayed with Eugene. The two lives run in parallel lines, like highways on opposite sides of a mountain. There, on the other side, the Quinn who stayed with Eugene is speeding through her high-drama, childless life in Manhattan. Here, the Quinn who married Lewis lives in the suburbs, drives a Volvo, and has an adorable young son with another baby on the way.
But the important part of the secret—the part that terrifies and thrills her—is that she knows it's possible to cross from one life to the other. So far she’s played it safe, never venturing over to see what’s on the other side. Then a shocking turn of events rattles Quinn to her very core, and she makes the reckless choice to finally see what she’s been missing.
There, she not only rediscovers her exciting single life, but meets the one person she thought she’d lost forever. Her mother.
But Quinn can’t have both lives. Soon, she must decide which she really wants—the one she has…or the other life?
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Reviews
"An exciting and suspenseful novel of choosing ones path in life, highly recommended."
-Midwest Book Review
"This is a gripping tale about choices and self-discovery."
-San Francisco Book Review
"A resonant story about the importance of mothers, both having one and being one ... making for a riveting tale of love and choices."
-BookPage
"Meister magically makes the impossible believable and keeps the reader guessing right to the end ... a stunning love story."
-Southern Pines Pilot
"How many wonder what their life would be like if they chose a different path? This is the crux of Ellen Meister’s riveting novel, THE OTHER LIFE. This inimitable tale is mesmerizing."
-New York Journal of Books
"A powerful, moving and emotional story that is going to be a great read for book clubs."
-Bookfinds
"I was so drawn into the story and the characters that I devoured the book in two days ... an engaging read, one that strikes deep in the heart."
- Rated Reads
"The exploration of Quinn Braverman's journey to that place of empowerment over her own life is an exhilarating and thoughtful one that lovers of women's fiction should not miss!"
-Colloquium
"Absolutely riveting. I picked it up ... and did not put it down until I turned the last page. Rating: A"
-Lonely Friday
"This is one of those stories that stays with you long after you put it down."
-Reader Unboxed
"Intriguing, stimulating, original, unpredictable, frightening,utterly engaging--THE OTHER LIFE reminded me why I love to read. EllenMeister is a writer with a limitless future."
-Michael Palmer, New York Times bestselling author of THE LAST SURGEON
"Ellen Meister makes a big leap toward the literary in THE OTHER LIFE, a book where 'What if' becomes the most powerful question in the world. This is the thinking woman's beach read, a love story to the modern family, written with a deep and lovely understanding of mothers and daughters and the sacrifices they'll make for each other."
-Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of THE GIRL WHO STOPPED SWIMMING
"Gripping! A truly fascinating story of love, loss, and a magical place in between."
-Beth Harbison, New York Times bestselling author of HOPE IN A JAR
"In her riveting breakthrough novel, THE OTHER LIFE, gifted storyteller Ellen Meister doesn't just peek in on a young mother who straddles between love and doubt, she blows it open with a story of one who straddles two parallel universes, each with its own perilous decisions. It is a brave and honest exploration of the precarious limits of motherhood that will make readers wonder if Meister followed them with a probe and felt their racing hearts and hopes. If you have ever second guessed the biggest decisions of your life (and who hasn't), THE OTHER LIFE is a captivating homage to the question, does love conquer all?"
-Saralee Rosenberg, author of DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD and FATE AND MS. FORTUNE
"THE OTHER LIFE is a provocative and unique tale of the road not taken. Ellen Meister puts a magical, masterful spin on one of my favorite questions: 'What if?' What if you took both roads? You won't want to miss this one!"
-Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author of THE GIRL WHO CHASED THE MOON
"I loved this emotional powerhouse of a novel that asks a daring "what if..." and manages to be as charming and funny as it is thoughtful and moving. Brava, Ellen Meister!"
-Melissa Senate, author of SEE JANE DATE and THE SECRET OF JOY