The Versions of Us
"The minute I heard my first love story,
I started looking for you, not knowing
how blind that was.Lovers don't finally meet somewhere.They're in each other all along."
-Rumi, The Illuminated Rumi
Rarely do I end up buying a book that I've already bought & read on Kindle.
But, as I've mentioned before, there are exceptions.
This book, The Versions of Us, is one of them.
Introduced to me by Olivia, from her stunning blog
Her description had me hooked as did one of the comments on the front page.
"Sliding Doors meets One Day"
...because there's a bittersweetness I can't resist about love stories that almost, never quite make it in the way we'd hope.
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The Versions of Us centres around Jim & Eva who are both studying at Cambridge when their paths cross.
Three versions of their love story are available.
What if their one chance encounter have the potential to determine the rest of their lives?
What if...
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I think we've all had 'what if' moments in life.
Wishful thinking in whatever our endeavours :
career, ambition, taking chances.
And it made me wonder about my own, 'what-if' moments.
It's an interesting concept.
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If I hadn't studied certain subjects at school & chosen a particular path, where would I be right now?
Who would I know & consider my closest friends?
Who would I be?
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If I hadn't spent most of summers abroad, exposed to a different world, would I still have the same views I do now?
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If I was born into a different country with different laws & different resources, would I still be able to use my voice?
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If you had three different versions of your life, what would they be like?
Lessons Learnt :
Dream, of course, but Live In The Present
There's one beautiful chapter that stayed with me.
In one of the versions, Jim & Eva have met briefly and realised they have a deep & profound connection, yet for whatever reason, life got in the way of them being together.
At one particular stage in this version, Jim is faced with a choice: to wonder what if or to truly enjoy every ounce of happiness and joy life has already provided him.
He decides to do just that, to focus on the 'life he is already living' and 'not the life that might have been'
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Life Is Messy
I started the book thinking, I'd have a favourite version of the couple, however as the author shows:
Life is messy...and it can't always be planned methodically.
Most importantly, life is not how it may seem.
Take what comes, come what may & embrace the opportunity.
What if?
What if so? What if not?
Just be. & live.
And, yet again. in the words of my friend :
Be spontaneous & live life as you want to live it.
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This book spoke to me on so many levels.
My only criticism would be that at times, I'd need to remind myself of some of the characters in each of the different versions. Hence why if you have a chocie, I'd read this in paperback over kindle edition so you can re-read chapters and versions with ease. However, much like Liv mentions, it's a book that will have you wanting to revisit these 2 characters: Jim & Eva, and the different versions of their love story more than once.
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Have you read the book? If so, what did you think?
Do you have your own 'what-if' moments?
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Until the next time,
Namaste, from Ananya
xo
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