Robert Webb - Come Again

Rating: 5/5

Review:
A great read

I loved Come Again. It was witty, very insightful and an extremely enjoyable read.

The plot is well explained in the publisher’s blurb: Kate’s husband Luke died nine months ago of a brain tumour which had been growing undetected since before the met in their teens. Now in her forties, she is sunk in grief, self-blame and depression and on the verge of suicide...which sounds unbearably grim, but Robert Webb manages to convey it with a light, readable, almost humorous touch while giving it real weight compassion and thoughtfulness.

Kate then suddenly wakes up with her middle-aged memories and consciousness in an eighteen year old body on her first morning at university, with an opportunity to fix Luke so they can have a long, long life together. However, this turns out to be anything but a Groundhog Day re-run, and Webb shows really sharp insight into how different young people whom you loved might seem once you are middle-aged. The last section is properly exciting and the whole thing sparkles with genuine humour and real emotion throughout.

It’s terrifically well done. Robert Webb writes extremely well, with excellent characterisation and really good dialogue. He knows how to say serious things in a witty way and never strays into sentimentality even though I found parts of this very affecting. He’s very sharp on contemporary mores, too; I liked this little exchange with the boss of an Online Reputation Management company:

“They’ll never believe you.”

“I’ve seen the evidence.”

“Evidence isn’t what it used to be.”

In short, I think Come Again is a great read which has some real, thoughtful content. Very warmly recommended.