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A review by kaje_harper
Any Given Lifetime by Leta Blake
4.0
This was an interesting idea that led to some real emotional resonance - Neil is a bioscientist who is killed prematurely in an accident and reincarnated as a baby, but with many of his adult memories intact. Meanwhile, his boyfriend grieves his loss, and then tries to move on.
I was engaged with Neil's issues as he grows up from childhood, trapped in the body and in some aspects mind of a small child, able to only watch the public evidence of his lover's life, grief, and recovery. There's real poignancy in that. I liked Neil's irascibility and ego, as part of the mix. They made him interesting, and supported the idea that Joshua really was the one man who saw under that surface for him. (We see their early relationship in flashbacks.) He was a brilliant scientist, and now he's a very precocious child who can't afford to betray exactly why he's so advanced, and who can't reach out to the man he loves. It's hard for him to resist just bulling his way back into Joshua's life, at an "age" where it would be weird and creepy and unbelievable. Anger, impatience, and sometimes mourning, are part of that process. His only chance is to grow up as fast as he can and then try to reconnect.
But then Joshua remarries, and seems happy with his new man.
There are some moments of grief and deep loss in here, and some touches of humor. The science is lightweight but plausible, and although a few of the solutions are a bit convenient, it all works pretty convincingly. I came to believe in the unshakable bond that held these two men together, even when only one of them knew it. This was unique, and well done.
I was engaged with Neil's issues as he grows up from childhood, trapped in the body and in some aspects mind of a small child, able to only watch the public evidence of his lover's life, grief, and recovery. There's real poignancy in that. I liked Neil's irascibility and ego, as part of the mix. They made him interesting, and supported the idea that Joshua really was the one man who saw under that surface for him. (We see their early relationship in flashbacks.) He was a brilliant scientist, and now he's a very precocious child who can't afford to betray exactly why he's so advanced, and who can't reach out to the man he loves. It's hard for him to resist just bulling his way back into Joshua's life, at an "age" where it would be weird and creepy and unbelievable. Anger, impatience, and sometimes mourning, are part of that process. His only chance is to grow up as fast as he can and then try to reconnect.
But then Joshua remarries, and seems happy with his new man.
There are some moments of grief and deep loss in here, and some touches of humor. The science is lightweight but plausible, and although a few of the solutions are a bit convenient, it all works pretty convincingly. I came to believe in the unshakable bond that held these two men together, even when only one of them knew it. This was unique, and well done.