A review by sometimes_iread
A Possible Life: A Novel in Five Parts by Sebastian Faulks

challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Guys… I thought this was a novel, it says so on the front cover, does it not? Yet, the five stories seemed way more disparate than I’d expected. It’s not a big thing but I do feel a little cheated. Still, the read itself more than makes up for it.

A Possible Life by Sebastian Faulks is a novel in five stories, with each part being a completely different story with different characters obliquely connected to each other. And I do mean obliquely, in a squint or you’ll miss it way. We have the teacher called to fight in the Second World War, the self-made man struggling to do the right thing in Victorian London, the scientist struggling to reconcile what she has found with her human experience, an old French servant finding understanding in the Bible stories her master reads her, and the musician-producer chasing the siren call of a new singer’s exquisite gift of voice. 

Each story is so well-crafted, they have entirely different voices. The first story read unbearably British which contrasted deliciously with the bohemian voice in the last. It truly is testament to Faulks’ craft, how he created such rich worlds with the bare minimum. Each story left me feeling like I’d read an entire novel on its own. In fact, the stories were probably richer and more nuanced than some standalone novels. Yes, Faulks really is that good. 

Despite the completely different lives inhabited in each story, all five of them beautifully rendered the idea of love in their own way. Faulks brings us on a journey, exploring what it means to love. From blind love that throws caution to the wind, to quiet devotion, and much more in between. In its oblique fashion, the subtle links between the stories serve to show how love is a universal experience. We might not be a genius scientist or a gifted singer, but we too share in the experience of loving, losing, and living. 

This book truly was a richly woven one and I think it might be one of those books that will throw up new revelations on each subsequent read. 

Diversity meter:

Strong female characters