If I Ever Fall by Robertson, S D

This book is described as three people attempting to reconcile their past with a new future.
However, the manner in which it is presented is very interesting with three distinct timelines; before (in which we meet Dan), present (in which we meet Maria) and some indeterminate time and place where we are introduced to Jack. It becomes clear quite quickly that Dan is Maria’s husband and though their perspective is portrayed separately they each have a distinct voice and time and place. Not so with Jack; his voice is confused as is his time and place and his distinct narrative serves to underscore the confusion.

I thought the author’s illustration of Maria with all her problems and issues was very well sketched and as the story unfolds, it is her voice that changes the most as she comes to terms with not only her grief but also her future. It is through her letters that she reveals her ‘story’. As for Dan, I loved his character. He is struggling to come to terms with living alone in a dingy flat, missing his family whilst dealing with difficult work issues and coping with his despair at the disintegration of all that went before.

All in all, I found this to be a very interesting book, well written and with excellent characterization. I did enjoy it and was keen to discover how Jack’s role would be revealed.

I reviewed this book through NetGalley via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed the book overall, although it was very depressing at times...and that's okay because the emotions in the story at the time seemed to want that result to be felt by the reader. I really liked the format of each character having a seemingly unrelated story and the different ways the author told each story. I especially liked the Maria sections who wrote letters to tell her story. In the end I found it very satisfying and have to give it a thumbs up. Four stars out of five for this one.

A very good story, it is not until the end that you find out what is happening, as it changes throughout the book from the perspectives of the different characters. I would definitely recommend this book.

What a writer!

Jack wakes with no idea who or where he is. Miles, looking ofter him, claims to be a doctor, yet his story doesn't ring true. Maria and Dan are driven apart by a past event, and Maria spends her days writing letters.

I really enjoyed this novel. Whilst I predicted the ending quite early on, the book was so well written that I wanted to enjoy the journey toward the conclusion. The whole book has a feel of Stephen King's Misery about it. Highly recommended.

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
I really liked the style in which this was written - part normal narrative and part told through letters written. It therefore took a while to get to know the individual stories and how it all linked but the "journey" there was interesting.
Without being sexist I have to say that I was surprised that the author is a man. His ability to deal with a lot of the sensitive subject matter with so much empathy and emotion, was noteworthy and for me was the strength of the book.
Not giving any spoilers away, all I can say is that this is a great read with a well developed plot and very strong characters and I would recommend it highly.
4.5 ****

~ A five star corker of a novel ~

I've never read a book like this before - it's like walking on quicksand. From the start you're not absolutely sure of what exactly is happening other than that it involves ordinary people going through extraordinary grief - all the signs and symbols (Eindhoven, luggage, location of the house) start making sense, you think, and then-- well, I've not finished yet but already I know that I'll be thinking about this book for some time.

Continued to be a great read to the very satisfactory conclusion, will definitely look for more novels by SD Robertson in the future.

[Many thanks to the author and publisher for an advance review copy.]

Although I found this book a bit depressing the concept is excellent. I didn't really like any of the characters but being fed bit by bit of the story makes for an interesting read.

If Ever I Fall is a difficult book to review because it’s hard to talk about the story without spoiling anything. It is one of those books where little nuggets of information are dropped every few pages and the reader doesn’t get a full image of it all until the end of the book.
The story is told through three distinct narratives, one of which is told in reversed chronology, and this reinforces the mysterious elements of the story. At the same time it slows down the pacing and it confuses matters. I kept hoping/expecting for people to be more evil than they actually were, just to spice things up a little. For me it took too long before it all came together, and I didn’t like Jack’s storyline – even less at the end when finally was revealed what was actually happening. I also felt there wasn’t much of a resolution at the end of the book.
As for the characters, I found it hard to relate to them. It was said that Dan had been suffering from depression, but I never saw any evidence of it. I also felt that only Maria was falling apart and being unreasonable when Dan remained reasonable and supportive. His only vices seemed to be drinking and smoking, and again it was more that we were told about it than that we saw it happen. I think I would’ve preferred seeing more of their relationship falling apart, and more of their pain.
If Ever I Fall is an emotional story told in an unusual way, and though it didn’t work for me as well as I’d liked, I’m sure it will connect to other readers much more.

Dan is not a likeable character and neither really is his wife. That said they travel a hard road and life has not been kind to them. I found although i enjoyed the book parts confused me and i felt detracted from the story such as the time Dan spends on the coast. Its not until the end of the book that it makes sense.

I was interested in the blurb of this book before I started to read it. Meeting Dan and Maria, it wasn't clear at the beginning what their relationship was. We meet Dan, a broken man as he leaves his job and life and walks away from it all. Maria on the other hand isn't coping very well with her OCD and we meet her writing letters to Sam, again a character who we aren't sure who he or she is in the beginning of the book. Maria has a daughter, Ruby who also features.
We then meet Jack a man who has woken up after having banged his head and lost his memory. Being looked after in a house by a retired doctor, Miles, Jack isn't sure if Miles is who he says he is and wishes he could remember. Is Miles helping him or preventing him from returning to his life? What was his life?
As the story starts to unfold we do gain snippets which I won't share to ruin the story for anyone. Whilst I thought the book was going to be predictable, purely because of the style it was written in, I couldn't have been more wrong. This book has such a powerful ending that I completely changed my mind about it. An easy read that it well worth the time.

Absolutely loved If I Ever Fall, such a fantastic story that had me utterly hooked