How to Save A Life by Clare Swatman : Review

How To Save A Life by Clare Swatman

 Release Date: 8th June 2022

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Genres: Contemporary Fiction

How To Save A Life

One night in December, twenty-two year old Ted Green makes his way to Waterloo Bridge determined to end his life. Lonely, despairing and utterly hopeless, it seems the only choice to make.

That same night in December, Marianne Cooper is running away from a party. Having found her boyfriend in a passionate clinch with someone else, Marianne can’t get away fast enough. But as she makes her way along London’s South Bank, a figure catches her eye on top of the bridge.

Then she sees him, a man ready to jump.

When Marianne saves Ted’s life, this night in December becomes one they’ll never forget, but as Ted watches Marianne leave in a black taxi, all he can think is he should have asked her name.

In a story spanning twenty years, join Ted and Marianne as they navigate life’s twists and turns, joys and heartbreaks, while all the time wondering - will fate ever bring them together again…

How to Save a Life is one of those books that hooks you into the storyline immediately. No messing about. No long, slow drawn out intro into the main story. It just hits you and doesn't release its grip the whole way through. Teds life could only be described as one of total despair and he sees no way out other than the drastic course of action he has planned. Ted no longer wants to be part of this world. Scarred emotionally by the Gulf War, this soldier can no longer fight to stay alive now he is home. Weighed down by PTSD he feels totally alone apart from his lovely friend Danny who is there for him but Ted no longer wants to feel such a burden to him. So, climbing onto a bridge with the intention of throwing himself off until he is interrupted by Marianne, or Fairy Girl as Ted calls her after that night when she talks him out of killing himself. She's had a pretty rough night herself and runs out of her office party, heartbroken and dressed as a fairy. She certainly wasn't expecting to find a suicidal man and she certainly wasn't expecting to save his life on that cold, snowy night. But, just as quickly as she enters Ted's life, Marianne disappears and Ted becomes obsessed with finding this elusive woman to thank her.

The story spans quite a lot period of time. For 20 years the couples lives intertwine and I love this concept. Fate keeps bringing them together............almost. Their close encounters were painful at times. So near, yet so far! It was a little frustrating at times and I was wishing with everything I had that the next time would be the one! We get to hear the story from both characters perspectives and I always find books like this interesting. 

How to save a life was a very emotive book with difficult subject matters handled with great sensitivity and insight. I found it a compulsive read and quite sad at times. The main message I took from the book is that there are many ways to save a life, from the smallest gesture such as a kind word, a gentle touch or even a smile and that life has a way of moving on whenever we are at our lowest and taking us with it when we thought we couldn't go on. Inner strength and the strength gifted to us by friends, family and even complete strangers all go some way to making us who we are and shaping our experiences and sometimes changing the paths our lives take over the years. A recommended read from me. Really enjoyed it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Clare Swatman is the author of three women’s fiction novels, published by Macmillan, which have been translated into over 20 languages. She has been a journalist for over twenty years, writing for Bella and Woman & Home amongst many other magazines. She lives in Hertfordshire. Before We Grow Old, was published in January 2022.

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