This is the first time I've read a book which contains various story options. Giving me the choice about the direction of the story was a lot of fun.

Set in Portland in 1955, the characters inhabit a closeted landscape of a large 1950's office in which the strict hierarchy creates almost impossible to climb literal and emotional stairs between the main characters.

Helen Brandt, the main character, is an enjoyable creation who is still recovering from the loss of her lover who was killed in an accident. Helen has two potential suitors, and depending on the choices you make, you get to choose the ending. Kit is an ex-lover who has just returned to the city. The other suitor, Francis, is one of Helen's bosses and is quite upfront about what she wants.

I read the book making various choices along the way. I then had a hoot of a time reading all the bits I hadn't originally chosen, so see what could have happened. It gave me a sense of the infinite choices we get in life, and how each one can change the outcomes in so many ways.

I could have used more depth in the characters, and a more complex story. I guess that's the disadvantage of having story options, in that the story must have particular linkages to make story segments interconnect as well as Blakemore made them.

This was a fun, light read and a delight to explore..

Helen Brandt