Book Review and Giveaway: Lifesaving for Beginners

By Becky Gulc

**Giveaway is now closed**

Lifesaving for Beginners by Ciara Geraghty is a dual narrative book with chapters alternating between the points of view of 39 year-old Kat Kavanagh living in Ireland, and Milo McIntyre, a nine year-old boy living in Brighton.

Kat Kavanagh is the secret author of a series of bestselling crime fiction novels; she loves her younger brother Ed to bits; has a somewhat forced relationship with her parents and boyfriend, Thomas, with Kat acting as a passive participant in the whole relationship. Kat has one close friend Minnie.

Milo McIntyre is a happy nine year-old boy who loves his Mum to bits (his mum being pretty much a single parent since his dad moved to Scotland to be with a younger woman) and the lifesaving classes he attends after school.

The lives of Kat and Milo are changed forever following a tragic traffic accident in Ireland. Whilst most people would be thankful to be alive after the fatal accident, Kat Kavanagh is not someone who feels blessed. In many ways the accident ends up having a detrimental and life changing affect on Kat. Whilst Thomas is more keen than ever to move their relationship forward as a couple, Kat is more keen than ever to get things back to ‘normal’ without all the ‘miracle’ talk and all the fuss; ‘normal’ for Kat means being non-committal; evasive and wondering how she ended up living with a guy like Thomas in the first place. Kat is a woman who is very happy to carry on as she is; not being the public face for her books; living in ‘her’ flat’; her terms. The problem is that since the accident, Kat hasn’t written a single word despite being hounded by her publishers. Kat has her foot firmly placed on the self-destruct button in more ways than one. Did the accident affect Kat more than she lets on? Or is there more to it? Will pushing those who love her away help her find happiness and what she’s really looking for?

Milo. Sweet, wise but vulnerable Milo. His chapters centre on him adapting to change as a result of the accident, a change he never saw coming, a change that he may not have the tools to deal with, but will those around him offer him the support he needs? Or will the needs of our young character be over-looked in the context of a complex family set-up or will his lifesaver classes help him in ways he couldn’t anticipate?

I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend this book. Lifesaving for Beginners really tugs at your heartstrings and I think a lot of that has to do with one of the narratives from Milo. I felt like I really got into his head and his heart, that Ciara wrote this child’s viewpoint and experience of the world impeccably; how this young child sees the world when it’s suddenly turned upside down. I can’t recall reading a book lately that alternates between an adult and child’s narrative but felt it worked really well and balanced itself well. Kat is also a really well formed character. Yes, she’s flawed, self-absorbed to an extent and very frustrating at times, but as I reader I came to understand her actions as the novel progressed which is what I was looking for.

Whilst the two stories share a common feature in terms of the accident and its aftermath there is a deeper connection between the two stories which becomes unravelled about halfway through the novel. Whilst I anticipated a clearer connection would develop (due to the blurb of the book suggesting as such), I thought a strength of the book was that I didn’t anticipate what was coming and it was seamlessly drawn together without ever being predictable. I found the book difficult to put down throughout, but especially once the twist is revealed and the deeper connection between the stories more apparent. I was actually hooked from the first chapter which actually centres on the accident from the perspective of the driver at fault, who we don’t hear of again throughout the novel. I thought this built the tension nicely before we delve into the worlds of Kat and Milo.

As well as loving Milo as a character (I’d forgotten how I viewed the world when I was nine, but I think Ciara writes this perspective so well and it did jolt me back to my childhood at times), there are some other great characters in this novel such as Kat’s brother, Ed, who I grew to love through Kat and Milo’s stories. Kat’s relationship with Ed is such a poignant one too in enabling us to care about Kat as a character as despite her flaws, she is a fabulous sister.

Overall I found this to be an emotionally satisfying read. There were definitely opportunities where plots and twists could have been conveniently tied-up but I always felt it delivered the story with a good dose of realism bearing in mind it is a book which covers some very sensitive and complex subjects and acknowledges the complex make up of many modern day families. This book made me smile, cry (in both happy and sad ways) and gave me an ending I was happy with, what more could I ask for?

I’d also like to pay credit to the cover which I think is beautiful and would definitely capture my attention if I saw it. Most importantly for me though I feel the cover reflects the story perfectly and this has obviously been carefully considered.

Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for the book in exchange for an honest review. They also have one copy for a lucky UK reader.

How to win Lifesaving for Beginners:
Tell us what you were like as a child. (One entry per person). Please include your e-mail address or another way to reach you if you win.

UK only. Giveaway ends November 7th at midnight GMT.

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