the two lives of lydia bird by josie silver

The story had a lot of potential for exploration of morality and the afterlife in general but it never really addressed the issue of why Lydia could “live on” while she was sleeping or the moral dilemma she is facing by taking these sleeping pills even when she doesn’t need them anymore just so she can see Freddie.

But after the fifth or sixth time she visits this dreamland that is never quite explained and has no rules to it, the book falls into a repetitive two-step: Lydia wants to be asleep so she can be with Freddie, and the awake world is keeping her from it. The idea in itself is great we get to see Lydia live out what could have been her and Freddie’s epic love story if it wasn’t cut short when he died. Instead, we keep watching Lydia repetitively live her life in the “awake” and the “asleep” world. A conflict, some plot twist, anything that would propel the story forward. For some reason, I kept waiting for something more to happen.

Unfortunately, the story didn’t resonate with me like that personally. It sounds like a story that will resonate with people who have loved and lost, who want to reclaim the past that made them happy and forget the struggles that seem insurmountable. With a premise like this, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird certainly will catch a lot of attention. One thing is for sure, though: at some point, Lydia will have to decide: does she want to move on or not? Suddenly, Lydia is caught between two worlds: the one where she can still have everything she ever wanted and the real one where everyone is grieving with her. Faced with the inability to sleep without crying, Lydia gets recommended some sleeping pills and the unimaginable happens: when Lydia takes the pills, she wanders off into a world in which Freddie is still alive and well, and the both of them are happier than ever. That is, until her fiancé Freddie dies in a car crash and suddenly, everything Lydia had hoped and dreamed for the future is gone. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird follows Lydia, a woman who seemingly has everything: a great job, a great family, and a gorgeous fiancé.

The two lives of lydia bird by josie silver