3 out of 4 stars
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Yesterday by Samyann follows the story of a woman by the name of Amanda, who finds herself mysteriously saving the life of an attractive policeman in a freak accident. Although she herself is minorly injured in the accident, she is mystified by a feeling of having known the man, despite never meeting him before. In an attempt to get her medical care, an onlooker by the name of Ed takes her into his antique shop, where she lays eyes on a mysterious grandfather clock for the first time. Despite her condition, she is mystified by the same feeling with the clock as she had had with the policeman - a feeling of having known the piece before, despite having never seen it in her life.
Amanda and the policeman, Mark, become closer in an attempt to understand the feelings developing between them - like Amanda, Mark feels as if he knows Amanda, although neither of them recalls meeting before. Amanda is afraid of hurting Mark by involving him in her life, as she has experienced countless tragedies, but he finds himself falling for her nonetheless. Amanda’s godmother, Mary, is a psychiatrist, and guides Amanda through a process of exploring her soul’s prior journeys to better understand her and Mark’s past relationship, one that involves two would-be strangers in the Civil War era.
I rate this book a 3 out of 4 stars, as it is a compelling read that - to my knowledge, at least - is also factually correct. The author very skillfully interweaves two tales together - one in modern life, and one in the Civil War era - while allowing the reader to feel the full extent of the heart-wrenching tragedy occurring in each lifetime. The connection between the historical characters (Bonnie, Jack and Daniel) and their modern day counterparts is made clear, yet enthralling.
One of the main reasons why I would not give this book a higher rating is that I felt there was a lack of chronological clarity in the modern-day aspect of Amanda and Mark’s relationship. Although the author very masterfully interjected visions from the past into their modern lives, at times the passage of time between each episode of “history” felt unclear. It seemed as though the relationship between Mark and Amanda escalated rather rapidly while the reader was engrossed in Bonnie’s life. At times, it was completely understandable what Amanda’s thought process was when she attempted to push Mark out of her life, but at other times she seemed to have forgotten all about her qualms about their relationship with no explanation from the author as to the sudden change in her behavior.
Nonetheless, this story was a fascinating read. The author’s interjection of history into a modern-day atmosphere was something I rarely have the pleasure to stumble upon, and the psychological and mystical aspect to the novel made it all the more interesting. Categorized as a "historical fiction" novel, I was somewhat surprised to find the first few chapters taking place in the modern world, but once I understood the necessity of introducing the characters, I found it was a fascinating perspective through which to explore history.
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Yesterday
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