Book info

• Title The Two Lives of Louis & Louise
• Author Julie Cohen
• Year 2019
• Genres Contemporary, Feminism

Two people. Two lives. One chance to see the same world differently. Louis and Louise are the same person born in two different lives. One was born female, and one male. They have the same best friends, the same red hair, the same dream of being a writer, the same excellent whistle. They both suffer one catastrophic night, with life-changing consequences. Thirteen years later, they are both coming home...

Thoughts

Wow, I really loved this book. Such a great idea, a sort of Sliding Doors but for gender. The book follows the lives of one person Lou Alder, but splits into two timelines where they are female and in the other male. Both stories are fascinating and would stand up in their own right, but the real joy is in seeing how they intersect. The similarities between the two are intricately plotted, and even the vast differences seem to come back to the same thing in the end.

It’s a story of love and family and of coming home, but it’s also a wider tale about Me Too, about gender stereotypes and the way that who you are when you are born affects your entire life in unexpected ways. A great cast of characters, and a very satisfying ending.

Rating: 5 / 5