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Book Review of If Only It Were True

If Only It Were True
If Only It Were True
Author: Marc Levy
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Romance
Book Type: Paperback
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If Only He Could Have Made Up His Mind.....

Marc Levy has an idea here -- about the "ghost" of a young woman who isn't really dead, only lying comatose in a San Francisco hospital. Her ... soul, if you will ... is hanging around her former apartment, which has just been rented to a young architect.

This is a fine set-up for a fantasy rom-com. Arthur is the only one who can see or hear Lauren, and of course there's the obligatory "who is he talking to?" reaction from onlookers as the relationship moves from "meet cute" to "feelings develop" to "a complication arises".

Unfortunately, Levy doesn't seem to be able to make up his mind whether he wants to write a romantic fantasy, an inspirational love-beyond-the-grave weeper, or a police procedural. Any time a novel rings in a whole new cast of characters 50 pages from the end, it's a screaming neon sign pointing directly at a writer who really doesn't know what he's doing.

You can entertain yourself for an afternoon with this, but don't expect any big emotional payoff.