The book: Yesterday by Samyann
The music: “No Roots” by Alice Merton
Yesterday is a love story, with a twist.
It opens with Amanda, a young woman in Chicago, saving Mark, a cop, from a runaway L train. Despite never having met before, they feel a deep connection to each other. Amanda’s loved ones have a bad habit of dying and leaving her alone, so her impulse is to pull away from Mark. But he’s persistent, and gradually Amanda finds herself falling for him.
Sounds pretty routine, right? Well, this connection extends to a grandfather clock in the antique store next to where Amanda saved Mark. She’s as drawn to the clock as she is to him, and after she buys it, he runs forensic tests on it to try to figure out its mystery. Meanwhile, Amanda’s godmother suggests she try past life regression therapy as a way to work through her attachment issues. Through these sessions, she learns about her past life as a girl escaping the Civil War, traveling from South Carolina to Chicago, and losing some loved ones along the way.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers – but this story is both a contemporary romance and a well-researched historical romance, spanning 150 years of skillfully interwoven characters. The author does a great job of tying all the threads together at the end, making this worth the read.
The accompanying song, Alice Merton’s “No Roots,” fits Amanda. She’s trying not to put down roots or make connections, but in spite of herself she does and ends up getting hurt – which spurs her on to the next place. Only by recognizing the pattern is she able to find happiness. Also, this is just a fun song to blast on your car stereo and sing along with.
