4 out of 4 stars
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Yesterday by Samyann is a contemporary novel featuring time travel between the present day and the mid-19th century. The blend of current reality and flashbacks both intentional and otherwise builds the novel’s theme of the endurance of love through time and the trials of life. Yesterday is the story of Amanda Parker, a young woman who has endured the tragic loss of most of her loved ones, falling in love with Mark Callahan, the cop whose life she saves when they meet. Anxious over the idea of losing him too, she seeks to discover how she feels like she knows him, which leads her to explore her past life. To do this, she undergoes regression sessions under the direction of her aunt and godmother, a psychotherapist.
The idea of past lives opens up the historical dimension of the novel, a plot centered on the journey of Amanda’s past self, a South Carolina plantation owner’s daughter sent north for protection during the American Civil War. The young girl, she discovers, also endured the losses of loved ones and other traumas, before, during, and after her journey. Her anxieties may have deep roots. The flashback scenes that the reader experiences as Amanda “regresses” into her past life as Bonnie are vivid, and seem historically accurate in their details. I thought they were very well handled and natural, flowing well with the rest of the narrative.
There is a fair amount of nicely-described action in the present-day parts of the plot, especially the sections focused on Mark’s role as a cop. The metaphors in these scenes were imaginative. But the edges of the regression scenes are very character discussion-heavy, and their main activity consists of the characters asking each other for, making, or pouring caffeinated or alcoholic beverages. I certainly do not mind mention of them in novels, but it was noticeable how much of the characters’ actions in these talky scenes involved keeping their hands busy with these drinks. On the one hand, this sort of action gave the novel a nice balance of homeyness, a comfortable cafe atmosphere. On the other, it was rather repetitive.
I also was rather unsure about how the novel handled the issue of race. There are two black characters who are somewhat two-dimensional, and given the parts of the novel set in Civil War-era South Carolina, that was noticeable. Their role in the flashbacks ends suddenly as well, and while Amanda goes give them some thought, the narrative quickly moves on. No mention is made of how the book’s theme of enduring love and reincarnation might have applied to them.
Based on the wonderful descriptions and nicely-done structure of the novel, as well as a lack of typos, I give Yesterday 4 out of 4 stars. It would appeal to fans of historical fiction and contemporary chick lit. The issues I had were minor, barely distracting from an inventive concept that was fleshed out into an enjoyable read for a long afternoon.
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Yesterday
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