I received an Advanced Readers’ Copy of this book thanks to the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Erica and Laure meet by chance on the steps of the Sacré-Coeur in Paris in the summer of 1978. Erica is a naive English girl, out on her own for the first time and dreaming of a romantic Parisian summer. Laure is a student at the Sorbonne, somewhat dissolute and cynical, seemingly the quintessential Parisian with her cigarettes and unfriendly attitude toward tourists. Yet the two young women are drawn to one another and their time together during Erica’s stay in Paris quickly turns into a love affair.
Almost Life spans decades of Laure and Erica’s lives, from that first summer and onwards. At each juncture, they are continually making the choice of whether they will choose each other or whether they will pick an easier path. We watch them age and grow and learn (and sometimes not learn what they should), always drawn back to one another. By setting their meeting in 1978, we know that their relationship as a queer couple will not be straightforward. Laure lives surrounded by a variety of friends and lifestyles, a community she has built herself and where she and Erica are (mostly) easily accepted. But Erica comes from a small English town and knows that choosing Laure may mean losing so much else.
Harwood creates characters that feel real and that have real problems. There are misunderstandings but none of the frustrating ones of romantic-comedies that could be easily solved in one honest conversation. We’re rooting for Laure and Erica as individuals – both are flawed but neither is a villain – and Harwood creates a realistically ambiguous world around them where the reader is no longer sure what would be best for either woman.
This was really different from the previous book I’ve read by Hargrave, The Mercies, which was an almost fantastical historical novel. Almost Life felt more like a Sally Rooney novel, deeply rooted in the real world. Harwood is skilled at creating both.
