A Crack in the Line: Withern Rise: Volume 1

"At sixteen, Alaric and Naia were as alike as any two people of opposite sexes can be...They shared a history, a lineage, memories, and had lived all their lives in the same house, Withern Rise, where they had occupied the same room, done the same things, more often than not had the same thoughts at the very same instant. And yet... They had never met." Interesting way to start a novel, isn't it? Alaric and Naia are closer than siblings, closer than twins. They are alternate versions of the same person, living in alternate dimensions, and when their lives are suddenly and inexplicably brought together by a carved model known as Lexie's Folly, they are forced to rethink everything they know about the universe, everything they know about their families, and everything they know about themselves. Alaric's mother, Alex Underwood, was involved in a terrible train crash when he was fourteen. She had a fifty-fifty chance of dying. She died. Naia's mother, Alex Underwood, was also involved in a train crash when she was fourteen. This Alex also had a fifty-fifty chance of dying. She lived. Because of this difference, Alaric and Naia's temperaments are drastically different. Naia is joking and carefree, much like her mother, while Alaric is sullen and withdrawn, living an almost speechless life with his father in their old, drafty house. The only spark of light is his aunt Liney, who comes as a sort of babysitter while his father is away, and Alaric rejects her as well, still bitter over his mother's death. This book, by itself, feels incomplete. It is. The story is so connected with the sequels, SMALL ETERNITIES and THE UNDERWOOD SEE that they are inseparable; but together, they form a thought-provoking, intricate, and ultimately tragic story about choices and unalterable consequences - even in a world where choices and actions can be relived, over and over again. Rating: Masterpiece

A Crack in the Line, by Michael Lawrence, is a story about two sixteen-year-olds, Alaric and Naia, who discover that they are living in parallel universes. In these parallel universes, they are both living almost the exact same life. They share the same thoughts, moments, and they even look alike. Only one major difference exists between their lives, other than the fact that Alaric is a boy and Naia is a girl. Alaric's mother died in a train crash two years earlier, while Naia's mother survived the disaster. After Alaric accidentally finds a way to travel to the universe in which Naia is living, the two of them work together to figure out why their lives are so similar and why this major difference exists. Events lead them to a major discovery, and their actions result in mistakes, which could ultimately change their lives forever. This is a very intriguing story that combines mystery and science fiction. Even though this book is science fiction, it is amazingly realistic, and it seems as though the concept of this story could actually happen in real life. I really enjoyed this book and Michael Lawrences descriptive writing. A Crack in the Line is like no other book I have ever read. Its originality is quite amazing and works to make the story more fascinating. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading something different with a captivating plot. Reviewed by AG at Flamingnet Book Reviews. For more preteen, teen and young adult book recommendations and reviews, please visit www.flamingnet.com.

Alaric is a sixteen-year-old boy who lives with his father in a crumbling old Victorian mansion that has been in his family for years. His mother died two years earlier in a horrific train crash, and his life has been going downhill since then. One snowy day, while alone, Alaric becomes reacquainted with the mansion he knows as his home. Once in a room that he has not sat in forever, he reaches for a familiar object. In a spilt second he is met with searing pain and the walls around him seem to come down. He opens his eyes to find himself lying in what appears to be the room he was just in, only it is cleaner and there is an unfamiliar girl standing before him. Sixteen-year-old Naia and her parents live in a mansion that was named Withern Rise by one of her ancestors. Naia's mother faced a near-death experience two years ago, but Naia has tried her best to forget about it. It is certainly the farthest thought from her mind one snowy day when she finds a strange boy sitting on her living room floor. She can't figure out why he is there, why he is claiming it is really his house, or why he looks almost identical to her. Can it be that two different realities exist at the same time --- one where Alaric lives with his father in Withern Rise and another where Naia is the only child to Alaric's father and the mother he lost two years ago? Alaric and Naia's discovery of each other brings about many startling events and realizations. Will Alaric and Naia be able to use each other to find out the truth about their own lives? Michael Lawrence has written a suspenseful and engaging tale of two teenagers living the same life. There is even an alternate ending that gives another outlook to the story's conclusion, along with a surprising twist. This gripping novel --- which is the first volume of a trilogy --- cannot be put down until the very end. --- Reviewed by Sara Cole

Good ol' Mike L. did a GREAT job on this book. It's written wonderfully. I only have two complaints: 1. I had planned on having a book to read for a while. This one got me so involved I finished it in three days! *laughs* 2. At the end there is an 'alternative ending'. Does this mean he isn't sure which one he is going to use? Or did he put the other one in just to show us what the other one is? *confused???* Wonderful job! I loved it!It was a fun read! -KK

Sixteen-year-old Alaric lives in a huge Victorian house on the outskirts of London with his Father. His Mother isn't around anymore. She's dead. Killed in a train crash two years ago. It's snowing. Alaric watches as the so-called Family Tree begins collecting white bits of snow on it's gnarled branches and roots. Suddenly he reaches towards an object that he's always known, but the walls melt away, and while Alaric believes that he's still standing in his own living room, he's wrong. For a girl named Naia is there when he opens his eyes. Naia is his age, and looks exactly like him. She asks him, "Who are you?" Suddenly Alaric realizes something. He's stumbled into another version of his life. One that's almost the same, but not quite. Naia is also sixteen. She lives in a big Victorian house on the outskirts of London with her Father (Alaric's Father), and her Mother (Alaric's Mother), only Alaric's Mother is dead, Naia's Mother is alive. However she did have a close call in a train crash a mere two years ago (the same train crash Alaric's Mother died in). Now Alaric's trying to figure out the answer to the age-old question, "Who am I, and what's going on here?" I feel so fortunate to have been able to read Michael Lawrence's A CRACK IN THE LINE. This is one of the most gripping, interesting, engrossing, thought-provoking books that I have ever read in my life. His choice of words for the characters dialogue is superb, keeping your eyes glued to the pages, while at the same time on the edge of your seat to find out what is actually going on. Lawrence's effort will have even the most uninterested reader unable to escape the mysteries of A CRACK IN THE LINE, and will leave you thinking, talking, wondering, and more about time, identity, space, etc. long after the book is over. A must have for all looking for a wonderfully, engrossing novel. Erika Sorocco Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper