When Ally’s husband, Joe, is rushed into hospital having fallen through ice into a frozen lake when rescuing a small boy and his dog, the last person she expects to see in the emergency department is Charlotte. Charlotte’s husband, David, has been brought into intensive care following a heart attack. While both men fight for their lives, the two women reflect on the men they love, the lives they’ve lived and the destiny which has brought them all together. At the start of the novel, readers are thrown straight into the tragic crux of the story and remain there throughout. As such, it’s a very grave and sober read, and whilst flashbacks to the characters’ pasts do provide distractions from the main story and its somber mood, there’s no real levity even then, and the narrative always diverts back to the overarching tragedy of the main story. It’s clear from the outset that this is going to be an emotional read and that is exactly what it is, Atkins maintaining this essence and mood from beginning to end. And she does so impeccably, holding readers’ hearts in her hands. And whilst it is easy to rave about this novel for its emotional impact, there are elements of predictability to the story and even the ending seems somewhat foreseeable from very early on. There’s also a question over the neatness and the coincidence of events. However, even so, there’s no debating that this is a touching, emotive read that can’t help but get under the skin. I suspect that for a lot of readers this will be right up there in their books of 2016, but even if, like me, it doesn't quite reach those heights, it's impossible not to connect with this story. (JC)
Our Song, by Dani Atkins, is a family drama about serendipity, friendship and love. The summary says: "This is the story of Ally and Charlotte, whose paths have intersected over the years though they've never really been close friends. Charlotte married Ally's ex and first true love, David. Fate is about to bring them together one last, dramatic time and change their lives forever. What would you do if your husband was the love of somebody else's life? And when faced with an agonising decision, could you put the past behind you and do the right thing?" Our Song is out in January 2016.
