This is one of those novels that is likely to stay with whoever reads it for a very long time and one that may certainly lead the reader to question how they would feel and how they would react were they ever to be confronted with the circumstances detailed within its pages. Having suffered the loss of his seven year old son, Brendan, and the subsequent break-up of his marriage to Chloe, Mark has now moved on and is happily in love with Allison, so much so that within the first few pages of the novel we learn that Mark has ambitions to make her his wife. However, any plans for a marriage proposal are put swiftly on hold when Mark's thoughts are pulled in another direction entirely by the arrival of another woman, the new inhabitant of the house where Mark, Chloe and Brendan used to live. It was in that very house that Brendan suffered the terrible accident that resulted in his death and the woman, being absolutely convinced that Brendan is haunting the house, has sought Mark out to tell him so. Mark tries very desperately to ignore her, not really being one to believe in such things, but when Chloe is approached by the woman she is completely taken in by what she has to say which thus results in Mark taking a trip down memory lane in trying to support Chloe whilst also trying desperately to maintain a firm grip on the present day. Within the book we see Mark questioning many aspects of his life, his happiness being just one of them where the reader often sees him wondering whether he can be as truly happy with Allison as he was with Chloe when they lived together as a family with Brendan. We also see him reflecting on the past, wondering what could have been done differently to have possibly prevented his sons death. At the same time we also see him fighting desperately to do the right thing and please all those that are depending on him, not just Chloe and Allison but his father, his friend Lew and all his many clients at work. Certainly this is a very emotional novel and one which was also quite literary in style. For me, although it dealt with the subject matter in a sensitive manner, it wasn’t a read that I could award more than the three stars that I have on goodreads for the simple reason that at times I found my interest waning. Please don't get me wrong, at times I found the story to be really intriguing and quite fast-paced and then there were other times when it came across as being a bit long-winded. Indeed I feel that this is a story that could have been told in a lot fewer pages than it actually was. As you might expect it's also not the world's most cheerful book - there's very little humour and the characters within it are very rarely happy. I'm glad I satisfied my curiosity about this book, having seen it so many times sitting on the shelf of my local library, but it probably isn't a book that I'd add to my to be read again pile. It would, however, be interesting to see what the author, Christopher Coake, produces next. I would have given this book five stars if there had actually been a ghost. I was expecting a ghost story and was disappointed with how Chloe unraveled and Mark ended up back with Alice. I was rooting for Chloe and Mark to resolve their issues and be happy. I also was annoyed and not at all surprised that Alice was pregnant. Come on pregnancy on birth control is no where near as common as tv and books make it out to be. Still, it was an intriguing story that kept me entertained until the end.
What do You think about An Einem Tag Im Januar (2012)?
Recommended by my daughter, and passed on to my wife. Give it a shot, you might like it too.
—Lea
creepy. kept me turning the pages, but I was disappointed in the ending.
—Barbara
This. book. is. boooooring. Episodic chapters of boring prose.
—Hale_S
Wish it could have had about a 100 pages shaved away...
—nouman
Really enjoyed it, but was disappointed in the ending.
—hillon
