Book Review: IN ANOTHER LIGHT by AJ Banner

 

Title: IN ANOTHER LIGHT

Author:  AJ Banner

Publisher:  Lake Union Publishing

Read: June 2021

Expected publication: 5 October 2021

My Rating: 

 

Book Description:

 

Three years ago mortuary cosmetologist Phoebe Glassman lost her husband in a tragic accident. No longer the hopeful wife and mother she once was, Phoebe is disappearing into her grief and into the quietude of her job—restoring to the dead the illusion of life. Then the body of a woman named Pauline Steele arrives in the mortuary, and for Phoebe, everything changes.

Pauline is unmistakably Phoebe’s mirror image and bears an alarmingly familiar tattoo. Even more startling is that among Pauline’s effects is a faded photograph of Phoebe. Aided by an eccentric colleague, her curiosity sparked, Phoebe investigates her doppelgänger’s life and death—and uncovers surprising clues to a shared past.

Phoebe’s emotional journey soon leads to shocking revelations about those closest to her…and even herself. When she’s driven to the brink, how much of what she discovers can she trust?

What attracted me to this book:

 

Books about doppelgangers have always intrigued me. Imagine that there is a mirror image of you out there and you’re both living your lives, unaware of one another ... it’s almost like a parallel universe in which anything is possible. And yet nothing good can ever come out of being confronted with a body that bears an uncanny resemblance to yourself, especially when there are so many questions that now cannot be answered.

My musings:

 

Artist and sculptor Phoebe Glassman works in a mortuary where she restores the faces of the dead to make them presentable for viewing by their loved ones (gruesome, yes, but someone’s got to do it, and Phoebe is excellent in her job). She is shocked when a young woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to Phoebe ends up on the mortuary table, especially once Phoebe realises that she recognises the woman’s tattoo from a photo she once saw on her husband’s phone. From here follows a quest that will not only reveal some of Phoebe’s tragic history, but will also send her on a quest that may very well be her undoing ...

 

IN ANOTHER LIGHT was a story very much driven by emotion, which added a depth often missing in other mysteries. In fact, the mystery element here was firmly rooted in Phoebe’s own past rather than the death of her doppelganger. There was something particularly heartbreaking about the image of a woman not only restoring the faces of the dead, but constructing a very unique piece of artwork every year on the anniversary of a loved one (I am treading very carefully here so I don’t give too much away, so don’t worry if it doesn’t make much sense – it will, once you read it).

 

In fact, “heartbreaking” was one of the main themes of this novel for me, besides the fact that I was almost as invested as Phoebe herself in solving the mystery of the young woman’s identity, especially when the stakes started to become very high indeed. Emotions drove me to read this book almost in a single sitting, and though the ending wasn’t what I had expected it was a satisfying tying up of threads with a couple of surprise elements.

  

Summary:

 

IN ANOTHER LIGHT will appeal to readers who enjoy character and emotion driven mysteries unveiling family secrets and past trauma. Phoebe was a well-rounded, sympathetic character perfect for driving this type of story, and the events will tug on even the most hardened reader’s heartstrings. I loved it and can’t wait to read more from this author in future.

 

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.