~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~'s Reviews > In Another Life

This book was a mindfuck, which probably means I was overthinking (again).

In the story we see Shiloh meeting Travis at age 18 and again at age 36. At 18, Shiloh is depressed and tired of being bullied; he tries to take his life, and Travis (who's five years older), a paramedic, is the first responder. Travis saves Shiloh's life, and Shiloh notices Travis but doesn't have the courage to ask him to stay.

When Shiloh is 36, he sees Travis smoking outside a school, and the two click instantly. They begin dating; they fall in love. But Travis falls ill. Will this be the end of their story?

Which of the stories is the "real" one? Or is it simply two possibilities, two roads, always leading to the same person but perhaps a different ending?

REALLY BIG SPOILER COMING UP:

(view spoiler)[I finally concluded that the future story, where Shiloh and Travis meet at ages 36 and 41 is the cautionary tale, the WHAT IF, what MIGHT be if you don't grab love when you first see it.

In the future story, a few weeks into their whirlwind courtship, Travis finds out he has lung cancer due to an 18-year smoking habit. Shiloh is about to lose the man he loves. BUT.

He can stop it if he finds the will to live and love Travis in the NOW, if he can find the strength to come out, reach out, and move on. The past can change the future; the decisions we make affect the trajectory of our lives. Shiloh can save Travis the way Travis saved him. (hide spoiler)]

The book was well written and well developed, especially considering the short length. It was also a Hanukkah story; three cheers for that!