Aquamarine

I was fortunate enough to have been required to read this book for a Women's Studies class, and am thankful to my instructor. Anshaw's examination of the effect of the decisions made at pivotal points in our lives on our selves, our paths and our relationships with others is captivating and a wonderful read. Whether the heroine is lesbian or heterosexual is almost besides the point - the book is an exploration of possibilities, her answer to the "what if..." questions we all ask ourselves.

Anshaw writes with a believability that makes you think this is autobiographical. I haven't got any information on that, but I suspect she's just *THAT GOOD* as a writer. Structured as a set of three closely tied "what-if" novelettes which all use the same characters and same protagonist to examine a particular woman's midlife, Anshaw hits the nail on the head again and again. You will not read many novels concerning sexual ambiguity that are as good as this one. And yet the book is about so much else that I feel unfair in pigeonholing it to some kind of "bi-girl" subgenre. Even though the writing feels light in many places, the effect slowly starts to pile up in heavier and heavier subtexts until it will have knocked you flat by the end, trust me.

Aquamarine is the kind of book I wanted to savor. It is the only book I ever read which was able to portray the "what ifs" of life so brilliantly; the paths taken and not taken in our lives that eat away at us. I only wish I had written it first!

This is a book filled with remarkable, vividly drawn characters and places. Smartly interwoven stories told with such splendid honesty and powerful moments that the reader feels compelled to turn the page. If you miss Aquamarine you have missed a beautifully written story.

When asked if I believe in destiny I hesitate because I can't accept the horrors visited on people as "their destiny." But is it all random? Anshaw addresses this quandry in Aquamarine. Each of the different life scenarios contain similar incidences. Are there events in life destined to be and will take place in any context while others are completely random? If Jesse was gay or straight, rich or poor, it wouldn't have mattered. According to Anshaw, her destiny was specific and unalterable.