Second Life

I really enjoyed Before I go to Sleep and was thrilled to receive a copy of Mr Watson’s second novel in exchange for a review. I eagerly dove in only to be confronted with the most dislikeable main character I think I’ve ever met. Unlike other reviewers however I don’t care a jot about this, I must be a bit evil because I really enjoyed watching Julia’s life spiral out of control as she attempts to find out who murdered her sister.
There are plenty of twists and red herrings to confuse you and, just like Julia, I thought I had what happened worked out until yet another spanner was thrown in the works. However it was the ending which earns this book another star. It’s a brave writer who takes the reader on a journey and then show more leaves you hanging. It’s Marmite, you’ll either love it or want to throw the book through the nearest window but when you’ve got a character who’s systematically destroyed her own life do you really want a happy ending with everything sown up neatly. I say no, bring on the chaos. show less

While this was a good thriller, it was not nearly as intense as Watson’s debut. The ending is a tad too predictable for comfort. Similarly, Julia’s compulsion for answers and her involvement in her sister’s life borders on just plain disturbing – and not in a good way. Ultimately, Julia’s poor decision-making and the predictability of the ending made this a novel that left me disappointed.

Okay, here it is - the book I'll be recommending as required summer reading this year....Second Life by S.J. Watson.

Watson' debut novel, Before I Go to Sleep, was a runaway success. I absolutely loved it. (It's also a movie starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth) When I heard Watson had a new novel coming out, it immediately went on my must read list. But I did wonder if he could match the success of that first book. The answer is a resounding yes!

Julia and her husband Hugh have been raising Julia's nephew Connor as their son since he was a toddler. When her sister Kate is murdered in Paris and the crime remains unsolved, Julia feels compelled to try to see what she can find out for both her sake and Connor's.

Julia connects with Kate's show more roommate and learns that Kate was active in online hook up sites - casual sex online or in person. You can see it coming can't you.....yep, Julia joins the same site......

"I have another message, but it's not from him. This one is from someone new. As I open it I get the strangest feeling. A plunging, a descent. A door has been nudged open. Something is coming."

I'll tell you what's coming - one heck of a great read! Psychological, suspenseful twisty turny, keep you up late kinda read. I found myself breaking my rule (never peek ahead in a book) more than once - you know - just to see what happens and then going back to read a little slower.

Julia finds herself caught up in this online world......and then it spills over into her real life.....

"I wish I'd never met him. I don't know who he is, this man, this person I've let into my life. I want everything to go back to how it was before."

Uh, huh. It's too late Julia.

Watson's premise is not all that far-fetched. I'm sure many folks indulge in online anonymity. But he's taken that 'what if' to a whole new level. And even when I thought I knew what the ending would be (I refused to peek ahead that close to finishing) I was still surprised by the final twist.

Fair warning to gentle readers - there are some sexual scenes.

Absolutely recommended! I can't wait to see what Watson pens next! show less

SJ Watson's debut, Before I Go To Sleep was a smash hit and I imagine the pressure to produce a similarly successful novel has been immense.

London wife and mother, Julia, is devastated when she is informed her younger sister, Kate, has been murdered by an unknown assailant in a Parisian alleyway. Half crazed with grief and guilt, Julia becomes obsessed with finding Kate's killer, infiltrating an online 'hook-up' service her sister used in search of suspects.
Lukas is one of the first men to respond to her tentative approach, and though she quickly dismisses him as a suspect in her sister's murder, Julia can't seem to extract herself from the connection they have made. Her stolen moments with Lukas are a reprieve from her despair but as show more their relationship transitions from the virtual to the real world, Julia's 'second life' unwittingly puts everything she has, and those she loves most, at risk.

What Watson does particularly well in Second Life is create a close, tense and increasingly disorientating atmosphere as Julia's life spirals out of control.

My dissatisfaction with this novel can be laid at the feet of Watson's protagonist, Julia. I just didn't buy into her behaviour, despite the author's rationalisations of grief and guilt. I found Julia to be painfully frustrating - naive, self obsessed, and later, wontingly self destructive.

Unable to invest in the character, I then struggled with the plot, which relies on Julia's poor judgment to progress. There is tension and some surprising twists but it wasn't enough to convince me to put aside my dislike of Julia. Perhaps the strongest element of the story is the pacy and shocking denouement, though I'm still not quite sure how I feel about its ambiguity.

Just barely an okay read, largely due to my frustration with the main character, unfortunately, I think Second Life suffers badly in comparison with Before I Go To Sleep. show less

An inventive, intriguing novel that builds to an unexpected climax, with a plot that is more and more mysterious as it unfolds and keeps you fully involved. Julia’s younger sister has been murdered and when she believes that the police have missed some clues to her killer, she goes on-line to a dating website that Kate had used. Her relationship with Kate was complicated, in that she and her husband had raised Kate’s son, Connor, since Kate was unable to loo after him, but recently it had become strained with Kate wishing to take Connor back. Julia’s plunge into the dating also raises doubts within her about her marriage and as the cracks widen, she finds herself torn between her domestic life and discovering who killed Kate. show more Watson raises the tension gradually throughout the book until its revealing and engrossing finale. show less

SWEDISH REVIEW

Ett andra liv är en bok som är både intressant och frustrerade att läsa. Varför? För att redan från början så kände jag att denna bok kommer att ta vändningar som är nästan smärtsamt att läsa och jag hade rätt. Inte för att boken var dålig på något sätt. Det är en intressant berättelse om en kvinna vars liv är ställt på ända när hennes syster mördas och hon försöker finna vem som mördade henne. Upptäckten att hennes syster höll på med cybersex leder henne in i en mörk värld.

Jag kände tidigt att Julia är en kvinna med ett mörkt förflutna, men sanningen kommer inte att avslöjas förän senare i boken. Hon är inte en olycklig kvinna, hon har ett bra familjeliv med sin man och son. show more Men man märker att Hugh, hennes man, inte är hennes livs kärlek även om hon älskar honom. Men så får hon reda på henne systers passion för träffa främmande män på nätet tack vare hennes systers rumskamrat Anna och snart så har hon tagit sig vatten över huvudet.

Jag kan inte säga att jag fullt ut gillade berättelsen, men det beror nog mycket på att jag ibland ville kliva in i boken och slå Julia i huvudet med boken varje gång hon fattade ett dumdristigt beslut. Men jag kan förstå att många av hennes beslut fattades pga av skuld och sorg. Den bästa biten av boken är framåt slutet när hon inser hur dum hon har varit. Det är då boken blir verkligen fängslade att läsa.Sista delen är verkligen nästan plågsamt spännande ändå fram till slutet som jag i en viss mån hatade. Jag har supersvårt med öppna slut, men trots det slutet så var det även spännande. Några av vändningarna mot slutet var jag inte alls förbered på, andra misstänkte jag. Men att avsluta boken på det sätt som Watson gjorde, tja nu när jag har lugnat ner mig kan jag se det briljanta med det!

Tack till Bazar Förlag för recensionexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

This is the kind of book that is both interesting and pretty frustrating to read. Why? Because right from the start did I feel that this story will take turns that would be almost painful to read. And, I was right. Not that the story was bad, not at all. It's an interesting story about a woman whose life is turned upside down when her sister is murdered and she tries to find how who killed her. And, discovering that her sister used to have cybersex leads her into a dark world.

Early on you get a feeling that Julia has a dark past, but the full truth won't be revealed until later on. She is not an unhappy woman, she has a good family life with her husband and son. Although it seems that her husband Hugh is perhaps not the love of her life does she love him. But, soon she learns of her sister's passion for online affairs through her sister's roommate Anna. And, shortly she is in way over her head.

I can't say that I fully enjoyed the story, I wished sometimes that I could step into the book and hit Julia in the head with the book and tell her to wise up, but I guess much of her decisions in born out of grief and guilt over her sister's murder. I think the best part of the book comes when she realizes how stupid she has been, it's then the book really becomes thrilling to read. The last part is truly gripping to read, right up until the ending, which in a way I hated, but also was impressed over. I hate open ended endings, but the last part was also very surprising. Some twist did I not see coming, other did I suspect. But, to end the book the way Watson did. Well, now that I have calmed down can I see the brilliance of it!

Thanks to Bazar Förlag for the review copy! show less

First of all, I have a confession to make. I had formed the impression that S.J. Watson was a female writer. But no, definitely a male. Now that shouldn't make a difference should it, but in both his first novel BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP, and in SECOND LIFE, the primary narrator is female.

I thought one of the aspects of the story that was handled very well was the concept of the fine line that divides the real world and the online world. Not so long ago we were amazed at the concept of text conversation through email. But then the technology changed and we were able to enter online "rooms" where other voices spoke to us. As happens in SECOND LIFE, there is really no way of knowing whether these other voices are truthful in what they tell us, show more and even when we have underlying doubts, we tend to believe in the persona they create. Conversations with these online characters can be stimulating, even erotic, crossing boundaries which we wouldn't cross in "real life" situations. There is sometimes the feeling that you've discovered a soul-mate, a person who understands you in a way that no-one in your real world does, but of course you are seeing only part of their character and personality, the bit they want you to see, and you know almost nothing of their history.

The world that Julia discovers her sister has been part of is a 2D text based world, although not the 3D world also called Second Life in which avatars make the online world seem even more real. There have been other authors who have played around with the idea of Second Life, and explored online world in which even murders can happen, such as VIRTUALLY DEAD by Peter May, and WICKER by Kevin Guilfoile.

However in this novel Julia and her sister Katie both set up relationships in text rooms in an online world and then arrange to meet their new acquaintance in the "real" world. No one quite matches the persona they have created. The primary motivation for the meeting is sexual although Julia tells herself it is her search for her sister's killer.

The resultant story is one full of tension in which Julia crosses borders she wouldn't normally and the man she is meeting gives confusing signals. In reality she knows almost nothing about him.

So is this crime fiction you ask? Well yes, it is. The underpinning plot is Katie's murder, and then there are a heap of little secrets that Julia has hidden for well over a decade. But has Julia got in too far over her head, and will there be another murder? show less