A review by campsey0914
The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson

3.0

Kitty is a single, middle-aged woman in 1962 who co-runs a failing bookshop with her closet friend Frieda. Kitty lives in small town and leads a quiet life. She lives alone in her apartment with her cat. She enjoys reading and has a wonderful relationship with her parents. She is content and happy.

One night Kitty awakes in a different house next to a man she does not know. She soon discovers she is having vivid, realistic dreams of another life. In this dream life, Kitty goes by Kathryn and she seems to have a perfect life. She is married to a handsome man, has three children, a big house, and a maid. Kitty finds herself able to function in the everyday tasks of her dream life. Yet, she can’t remember the names of people in her or the details of big events. As she begins to dive deeper into her dream world, she soon discovers that the dream life isn’t as perfect as it seems.

Kitty starts to struggle with transitioning between her dream world and reality. She begins to have memory lapses, and she begins to question which world is real and which world is just a dream. She begins to become worried that she will one day wake up in her dream world and not be able to return back to reality.

This is a difficult book to review because I don’t want to give away any spoilers. I really enjoyed it. It is an emotionally charged book. I thought the author did a fantastic job of alternating between the two lives. Each Kathryn had their own set of regrets and faults with which they are struggling. I found myself starting to figure things out midway through the book. So, I wasn’t at all surprised by how the book ended. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the journey. If you’re looking for an emotional charged book filled with both sadness and love, then this is a book I recommend.