"The Versions of Us"

"The Versions of Us"
Written by Laura Barnett
Review written by Diana Iozzia




"The Versions of Us" is a carefully created romance novel. There are three narratives that are influenced by one moment: A woman, Eva, rides her bicycle down a busy street, where Jim stands. In the first narrative, Jim and Eva meet and fall instantly in love. In the second narrative, Jim and Eva meet eyes and say a few words, but they do not continue on. Jim pines for her for many years, as they both continue in their career. In the third narrative, Jim and Eva fall in love, but she is pregnant by her ex-boyfriend, David. We watch as these three versions of Jim and Eva grow up and live their lives.

I love the premise of this book. I think telling three different versions of the same characters is absolutely fantastic and a great idea. I think the way that the stories proceeded let me down. First, I have to explain that I am of the mind that someone who cheats and is unfaithful to the person they are committed to is reprehensible. In all narratives, we have glimpses and actions that fall under the umbrella that I believe to be cheating. This made me dislike certain versions of the characters. However, I do think if you choose to push past that and enjoy the other aspects of the story, you will love this book.

There are only a few other issues I had with this book. Because there are three different narratives, we have a very large amount of characters. Most characters intertwine throughout each narrative, like certain friends and family members. I found myself thinking, "Oh, I love Jim best in version one. Wait. No." My mind kept switching back and forth with every decision a character made.

This book has a brilliant message and thought behind it. When two people meet, are they destined to find one another? Will they fall in love the same way, if they truly connect at different points in their lives? Should they, despite their decisions, find their way back to each other? This was a very interesting book to read. I highly recommend it (if you can struggle through the infidelity parts).

This book has a very sad conclusion, in all three sections, but it makes sense. The stories come to an end with a bittersweet ending, that I think everyone can relate to in their own way. This book made my thoughts relate to my own fiance in certain ways. I like a book that makes me think.