I am an only child, but I didn't grow up without chosen siblings. I was lucky enough to have two wonderful cousins who, although I didn't see them as much as I wanted, it felt like we were as close as a sister. Of my cousins Cynthia and Charlotte (Cynthia always came first, although of the two she was the younger) I was closest to Cynthia because she and I were only five months apart in age. I so fondly remember our time at our Granny and PaPa's home on the coast of Texas. We were always running and playing. We loved to go to the beach and play in the treehouse our PaPa made for us. We could watch the Purple Martins fly to the houses he built for them.
I believe it was the summer of 2005 I got a call from Cynthia. She told me she was diagnosed with breast cancer. In my heart, I knew she could be cured or would go into remission, but that didn't happen. On August 8, 2007, as our family stood at her side and prayed, our Lord called her home.
I cried and cried. I lost my cousin, my chosen sister. Charlotte and I held each other and cried together. We held each other during her funeral and grew closer as we went through this time of losing our Cynthia. However, true grief hit me hardest on October 19, 2008. I turned 38 years old. Of the three of us, I was ALWAYS the baby. On that day, I was no longer the baby. Cynthia would remain 37 in my eyes.
I was reminded of this time of loss and grief reading The Switch by Beth O'Leary. This book is not sad, it is a book of discovery. Leena, the main character, is forced to take a two-month sabbatical when she has a panic attack during a business presentation. She leaves London and goes back home to a small village to visit her grandmother, Eileen. Her mother also lives in this community, but she and Leena are somewhat estranged following her sister, Carla's death the prior year. While Leena and her grandmother are together they decide to switch lives. Leena stays in the small village and takes on all of the responsibilities of her grandmother and Eileen travels to London. While "living" each other's lives (Eileen only lives with Leena's flatmates. During this time, Eileen has romantic encounters, while Leena befriends her grandmother's friends and other members of the community. Leena begins to reconnect with her mother, but because of the events prior to and following Carla's death (from cancer), it is difficult.
I enjoyed learning about the lives of Leena and Eileen. Their characters are well developed. The experiences and obstacles each have during their switch shows the vast difference between the generations. Beth O'Leary has been compared to Jojo Moyes, however, I have never read any of their books. Another book by O'Leary is The Flatshare (2019) and the anticipated The Roadtrip (2021).
The audiobook is delightfully narrated by Alison Steadman and Daisy Edgar-Jones. The two voices help the listener identify between the two main characters which are not always in the case of an audiobook. So many times one narrator is asked to alter their voice in order to show the distinction between characters.
I highly recommend The Switch. It is one of those books you will want to curl up with on a cold winter day and read through to the end. You will be involved in the lives of characters and will most likely relate to at least one no matter how small their part of the story.
*To comply with guidelines set forth by the Federal Trade Commission, Macmillan Audio has provided a complimentary copy of The Switch. This review is my opinion and is in no way influenced by the author or publisher.*To comply with guidelines set forth by the Federal Trade Commission, Macmillan Audio has provided me with a complimentary copy of The Switch. This review is my opinion and is in no way influenced by the author or publisher.
