Cover Image: Meet Me in Another Life

Meet Me in Another Life

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Member Reviews

Well, I was not expecting that! What an amazing book and an intriguing jigsaw to put together.
We meet Santi and Thora as they live their numerous lives. Their relationship changes each time, teacher student, husband wife, father daughter, doctor patient. Their lives are based in Cologne and the same familiar faces appear.
But this is not an ordinary story, as I was reading I found myself trying to detect non variables and then items which kept repeating. It was like following bird seed! This is not always an easy book to follow; but please stay with it. When the final twist is revealed everything falls into place and there is a tempation to go back to the beginning and follow the clues.
Amazing.

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I am in 2 minds about this book. At an intellectual level I've appreciated a few things, but emotionally I couldn't connect with it, in fact it bored me to the point I really wished I could have given up on it.

I have been intrigued by the premise: 2 people, countless lives. And I'd say the author delivered, in the sens that it's incredible with how many different relationships she comes up with. I also enjoyed how a few common elements keep appearing in the various tableau: a knife, a scarf, a cat, a few personages. And then, there's the twist. Imaginative and unexpected. I have read half of the novel alongside others(on the Pigeonhole) and none of us intuited what it was all about. It also gets bonus points(in fact, emotionally, I would have wanted to give it 2*) for the end. I really liked that there's no forced happy ending, rather uncommon in this type of novel. Thanks you Catriona Silvey for a realistic ending.

As for what I didn't like: well I guess I didn't developed any sentiments for the character. The story seemed a bit cold, to me at least. The first part was a bit of a roller-coaster with some stories being just alright, while other very emotional(I particularly liked the one when Santi is Thora's science teacher.). Part two bored me to death and only toward the end of part 3 it started to pick up a bit. The writing is promising but many of the ideas can be found elsewhere too.

All in all a promising debut, looking forward to see what the author has in store for us next.

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Thora and Santi meet at a party in the German city of Cologne. They have an instant and almost familar connection until Santi dies suddenly weeks later....but Thora and Santi will meet again. In fact, they will meet time and time again forming every possible relationship between two people across multiple lifetimes. Eventually their multiple lives blur and they begin to spot patterns. Now they are sentient to the process, should they try and escape the pattern and if so how do they do it before it's too late?

I really loved the first three quarters of this book. I was totally enthralled by Thora and Santi's characters as I observed them lead sixteen different lives together. I began to eagerly anticipate what form their relationship would take in the next life, having already seen them merge from one life to the next from lovers to enemies, parent and child, colleagues, teacher and student and many more. I loved spotting the similarities between lives whether it was objects, pets, or attitudes and personal baggage. It's written in a brilliant way which throws up a number of different issues for the reader to contemplate - religion vs science, optimism versus realism, what responsibilties you have if you are given the gift of multiple lifetimes.

In the last quarter of the book, the reader is given clues that all is not as it seems and Thora and Santi are in danger. It became strange and confusing and I became a little disengaged at that point. If you're someone that needs answers at the end, you needn't worry, you will get them in this book. I am that kind of reader too but in this instance, I felt like the answers didn't really add anything to my enjoyment of the book, more than anything I loved the process of the multiple lives and how more information about Thora and Santi were revealed in each one. They are an absolutely brilliant set of characters.

"Meet me in another life" is a beautiful, hopeful and poignant book. I am so glad I got a chance to experience it.

Thank you to Catriona Silvey, Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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The creativity that went into this book was absolutely astounding. The twists and turns were a bit mind bending, but in the best way possible. With a story that revolves completely around only two characters it is easy for them to fall flat and become one dimensional, that was not the case this time. The characters grew as they passed through their many lives, growing old, dying and being born again. As a very character driven story it was particularly well done. The main characteristics of each, Thora and Santi, remained with them, just as our core characteristics remain with us, but they still had moments in which they surprised themselves and each other. They had spent lifetimes together and lifetimes looking for each other, but even through all this they found ways to astonish each other and surprise me as a reader with their reactions that were plausible yet unexpected.
By containing the entire story within one city the author created a caged feeling, which I experienced along with the characters as they tried to escape this seemingly endless loop. I found that my emotions of frustration mimicked theirs, my heart raced and I had feelings of irritation, all because of the writing that had me so enthralled as to feel what the characters were experiencing.
With little hints that were perfectly placed to lead the reader and the characters towards a conclusion about how this would all end, I must applaud the author.
The only problem I had with this reading experience as a whole was my general lack of interest. This is due to my disinterest in Sci-fi as a general rule, which tends to not be my genre. So this was a "me" problem, not a problem with the novel or the writing thereof. The characters were relatable and it was easy to care about them, but I found my thoughts dwelling because of the Sci-fi element.
Since the only problem I had was a problem completely and utterly caused by my own reading preferences, I would not hesitate one moment to recommend this book to any Sci-fi fan out there. The twist at the end had me staring at the wall for a moment or two and I feel this is a reading experience that will be loved by many.

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Santi and Thora live multiple lives; different times, different ages, different versions of themselves, but always in the same location, with the people they love, and no matter what age they are or what version of themselves they are, they always eventually cross paths and come into each other’s lives.

From the day dreams as children to reach the stars and become astronauts, to teacher, to parent, to step siblings, to colleagues, the chapters are full of their different selves and lives, trying to discover what they are, what this is about, what has happened to them, and why them.

They leave a simple message on a clock tower for each other, a message that leads or guides their story and identifies the chapters. Who are Santi and Thora, why are they stuck in this loop? A simulation? A dream? Are they already dead? Did they make it to space? You’ll just have to read to find out.

It was an interesting book and concept, that takes you on a detailed look at each of their lives and crossings. It is not until the end the story is revealed and you find out what was actually going on, and what it all means. I quite enjoyed it.

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Wow what an interesting book ! I loved it so unusual... It's a strange one to describe ! Santi and Thora meet in Cologne and instantly find a connection then a few days later one of them tragically dies ... but it doesn't end there - here is where it starts to get interesting .. they meet again and again in different lives ... they are brother and sister, husband and wife and work colleagues . I can't say anymore as I would hate to spoil it for anyone but its a book that will have you wondering what is going on ! Loved it

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I love how each chapter is not only a new adventure for Thora and Santi but it is also a new life them as well. I love the connection that grows between the two of them because it’s beautiful and intriguing. One of my favourite chapters was No Going Back but I won’t say why because I don’t want to ruin anything. I never saw the end of the book turning out the way it did and I did get a bit emotional.

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Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This book was different to other books I’ve read.

The story was so different. For me it was a interesting story, I couldn’t put it down. I loved the descriptions of the fantasy world. But was airline, was how it ended, after which I was in deep thoughts.

Recommend It

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What a beautifully heartbreaking story. I loved it so much I’m little surprised, Meet Me in Another Life is a very surprising and unpredictable story, part of what made this book such an enjoyable read was being completely taken surprise by the journey it took.

The first half or so of the story is a little repetitive as we’re told story after story of how Thora and Santi meet throughout their various lifetimes, from siblings to teacher and pupil to lovers (not as gross as it sounds I assure you! Haha) but it’s necessary to set the scene with a complex story such as this one.

Thora and Santi are complex and frustrating, well written and developed characters, Meet Me in Another Life is a beautiful and thought provoking story and one of my favourite reads of the year!

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I finished Meet Me in Another Life a few hours ago but I am still thinking about it. In all honesty if I had known the solution to the mystery before I read it I wouldn't have chosen to read it because books on this topic generally bore me but in this case I would have been doing myself a disservice.

The premise of the book is excellent and Catherine Silvey is clearly a talented author.

Thora and Santi are destined to be in each other's life over and over again. Is it so they can explore all the choices and options available to them or is it as Santi beleives a test from God to atone for something? They need to figure it out before they run out of time and are lost to each other forever.

"You can't ever know someone completely. You'd have to be everything to them, and that's impossible."

Life after life Thora and Santi are different things to each other: lover, teacher, adoptive family, friend, sibling or colleague. Every time they are together but the opposite sides of the same coin, light and dark in their personalities. They are both always searching for something, waiting for something more.

This book is perfect for fans of The Midnight Library, Life After Life and The Timetraveller's Wife.

Meet Me in Another Life was impossible to put down and even harder to forget.

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

You have to be willing to go with this book - I promise it will reward you. The first few chapters, with different iterations of Thora and Santi's relationship, have you intrigued - it's like a puzzle trying to figure out what's going on. You'd think that so many chapters of essentially the same story with the same characters would get boring after a while, but Silvey makes sure it doesn't. And the ending makes all that hard work pay off. This is my favourite sci-fi-type novel since Becky Chambers' latest, and I think Silvey has a long career ahead of her in this genre.

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Meet Me In Another Life is the joyful, devastating and quietly profound debut speculative science fiction novel from Catriona Silvey in which it is asked: is it possible to remember someone you have seemingly never met ever before, and, if so, how? Thora Lišková and Santiago López meet for the first time when they are eighteen. Strangers in a foreign city, they both attend the campus at Cologne University in Germany, she as a student and he as a custodian. They bond over their shared ambition to travel to the stars. Thora thinks she’s finally found a kindred spirit, a friend for life. Until, days later, Santi is cruelly snatched away from her. That’s not the only way it happens. Santi meets Thora for the first time when he is 45, and she walks into his science classroom, a seven-year-old student who dreams of the stars; when he walks into her medical practice as an elderly patient; when her parents adopt him, aged five, as her brother; when they face each other on opposing sides of a bloody civil war. Life after life, haunted by impossible memories, Thora and Santi manage to find each other.

But how is it possible to remember lives never lived, to meet someone over and over for the very first time? And is there a deeper mystery to the patterns of their strange existence? This is a captivating and life-affirming novel about the power of memory and the wonders of friendship and love to buoy you through anything, as well as the role those elements and emotions play in self-identity, and despite its brevity, I found, at under 300 pages, it still packed a real visceral punch. We follow these two unforgettable characters through their many lives in a tale that encompasses a range of different genres: romance, science fiction, mystery and fantasy, to name but four. Poignant from the outset and steeped in profound and complex philosophical themes, I found myself absorbed by this beautifully woven character-driven yarn. It is a moving, inventive and richly evocative story and a spectacularly compelling page-turner filled with shocking twists that affirms the power of love to connect us beyond time and space. This is the type of book that kills you then swiftly brings you back to life again. Highly recommended.

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Thora and Santi meet by chance. They connect on a strange level. But then something happens to sever that link. It appears to be all over for them but they meet again, and again, in different lives. Each the same person but different. Every time they are something else to each other. Time after time they play out roles with a few constant "extras" in supporting roles along the way. There are other constants... But what does it all mean? What is happening? Why do they keep meeting? Why does it always end in tragedy? What can they do to break the cycle?
So many questions that Thora and Santi are totally unaware of initially and then start to - I think the only word I can use here is - awaken. To notice repetition, coincidence. To seek out what is strange - well that's a bit tricky being as, to me anyway, the majority is strange. And then, finally start to become aware of what is actually happening.
There are many lives they share. Sometimes as equals, others as parent/child, teacher/pupil, brother/sister. And many others that I won't spoil here. It's a book about relationships. About trying to fix things that happened wrong in their previous attempt. Until it isn't and you get a rather jaw dropping reveal about what is actually going on. Really didn't see that coming!
One of the things I loved about the book was the setting. Köln is a wonderful place - one of my favourite travel destinations. I even support their Football team - well who wouldn't with a wonderful goat as their mascot - but that has nothing really to do with anything apart from I enjoyed the trip down memory lane with some of the places mentioned. It really made me hanker for a return visit.
Each "life" could be considered as a short story in itself but with a link to the whole. I did get a tad bogged down in things initially until I realised there were connections that I really should be paying more attention to along the way. I guess I was eager to see what was really going on - if anything - and my patience was well rewarded when I eventually found out. Although, as I have already said, I really wasn't expecting to go there!
All in all, a good solid read that held my attention nicely and left me mostly satisfied at its conclusion. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

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Thora & Santi's chance meeting at the ruined clock tower in Cologne is just that, isn't it? Chance? Or are they fated to meet forever, in every lifetime?

This is the story of two people destined to be friends, lovers, colleagues, enemies & ultimately together throughout time. The first part of this story is the tales of their lives &, although a little repetitive due to the nature of the story, there were plenty of goosebump moments & indulgent smiles from me. Thora & Santi are both strong characters that are very easy to like, each has their flaws & issues but they are well developed throughout their many lives. The writing, for me, was really visual and I felt wholly enveloped in the city with them. For the latter part of the book I will only say that I throughly enjoyed the journey it took me on, I really liked where it went & hadn't been expecting it, although maybe I should have as the clues were there cleverly woven in to the story.

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Meet Me in Another Life is not the usual kind of book that I would pick up. However, the synopsis is definitely the kind of film that I would be excited to go and see at the cinema. So I thought I’d give it a go, and it sure did win me over on its captivating and emotional journey.

First of all, this a difficult book to place in a genre. A combination of science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and romance (albeit a romance regarding destiny rather than anything too fluffy), there are so many elements to this story that to put it into a category would be to insult Silvey’s impressive creation. It’s so much more than any one genre, and most definitely a book that I think you just have to pick up and give it a chance.

With such an intriguing premise, I had no idea how the story was going to play out. At first, we get to meet Thora and Santi over a number of lifetimes – as friends, colleagues, lovers, and enemies – so I struggled to see how I would connect to these characters when these individual stories felt so separate. But then it soon comes together in a real eye-opening way, and I needed to know how it would end.

As Thora and Santi begin to figure out their connection, I was quickly drawn into this unique concept. What starts off feeling like Groundhog Day soon begins to feel more celestial as we realise the significance of the stars, the universe, and the infinite galaxies around us. But as the sci-fi elements come in more and more towards the end, the story never feels too over-complicated or unbelievable, although the final revelations still blew my mind completely.

I love the idea behind the book, as Silvey commented in an interview that: “The question was: can two people ever know each other completely? That led me to the idea of characters who meet again and again in different versions of their lives.” And that’s what grabbed my attention from the beginning.

But what I love even more is that Silvey didn’t go purely down a romance route. Thora and Santi love each other in some of their lives, both platonically and romantically, but they also love others. It’s more to do with the coming together of their minds, and I think that’s why the concept works so well.

If you like films such as Interstellar, books such as Cloud Atlas, are a fan of fantasy stories about destiny and fate, or don’t mind a twist of sci-fi, then this is definitely a book worth picking up.

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One of the nice side effects of having a bookstagram and bookblog I will never get used to, is the moment authors or publishers reach out, send a message and ask me to read a copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. This book already was on my wishlist on Amazon, so when I got a message from the publisher via Netgalley that I could get an arc of this book if I wanted I didn't hesitate. And this morning I very happily started this story.

The concept of this story is quite interesting and very atmospheric. Quite a few times we see the same two people cross paths. Every time their relationship is different. They can be lovers, friends, family. They can know each other an entire life or they can only cross paths briefly. However, it's quite clear that every time they meet they leave a lasting impression on the other. And after a few lifetimes the characters start to realize when meeting the other for another first time, that they're a little TOO familiar.

From that moment they start learning and discovering. With each new lifetime they unravel more secrets and they also get closer to the why and the how. I have to admit that eventually, when the how and the why is revealed, I was a little disappointed. It felt like the explanation took away from the atmosphere, made it a little less special and meaningful. I think this might be one of the first times where I think no explanation would have worked better for me than the one that was given.

However, I still really enjoyed the book and I certainly don't regret reading it. I quite loved the idea that there is no one in the world who can truly know you, since you show different sides of yourself to different people. I enjoyed watching all their different lives, the way they slowly changed as people and still stayed themselves at the very core. I enjoyed the way they interacted and the way they challenged each other.

The destination was maybe not what I wanted, but the journey was still worth it.

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The premise for this sounded interesting so I was delighted to be able to read it early. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get on with it at all. It was so repetitive that I couldn’t bring myself to engage with it and I kind of just wanted to see what was happening. I can see the appeal and the writing is good, it just didn’t work for me personally.

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Thank you to Harper Collins U.K. for sending me the direct link to the Ebook for Meet Me In Another Life by Catriona Silvey, and of course thank you NetGalley for providing the mechanism, without which readers and publish couldn’t share books and feedback with such ease.

I fell completely in love with the story of of Santi and Thora and would definitely describe this book as an enigma, wrapped in a mystery with love, drama, and adventure, that you gradually work through like peeling the layers of an onion until you reach the core.

The story is told through the voices of the two key protagonists Santi and Thora, who unite, and circle around each other across multiple lives, until one life they realise that there is more to their lives than just reliving and learning from their multiple experiences. The multiple stories of their lives are always drawn to Cologne, where they always find each other, be it as brother and sister, lovers, enemies, father and daughter, mentor and student and more.

To say this book is a mystery is very true, and it deserves the reader’s patience as it cycles through their multiple lives - if you read/listen carefully there are Easter eggs dropped throughout the story that lead to ‘ah’ moments later. This concept is key to the book’s character and definitely a foundation for the growth of both Thora and Santi’s characters. Their arc is complex, enriching, joyful, heartbreaking and totally fascinating...this definitely isn’t just another love story.

Without ruining this book for you, I would highly recommend it, the characters are eloquent, complex, truthful, beautiful and terrifying and more. Silvey’s writing is both brilliant and beautiful, she paints a unique picture of a story that crosses multiple lives, timelines and space to deliver a unique storyline that is not overdone!

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I am so glad I requested this as it was such a unique read that kept me hooked. The first part of the book was like a series of short stories about Thiora & Santi’s linking life’s and it’s only in the last part that you kind of get a bit more sense of what’s happening, At times I didn’t really like Thora - she seemed cruel and distant. I loved Santi throughout the book, he’s a loveable character continually searching to find out the truth of their existence and how the lives they were living had meaning. A solid 4 stars, I thought this book was fab. Thank you Netgalley for my copy.

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I found this book easy to read at the beginning m but somehow I found the stories of Thira and Santi meeting in Cologne many times confusing. It wasn't for me. Although I did complete the book and the ending helped to explain the mysteries I won't be able to recommend it.
I'm sure though that many others will enjoy this story.

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