Readers who found much to like in Dublin author Cecelia Ahern's "P.S. I Love You" and Rosie Dunne" will be pleased with the different road she takes in her third novel "If You Could See Me Now." This time out rather than a happy ending romance with an Irish lilt we find a wee spirit. Not so wee after all, his name is Ivan, and he's invisible - to everyone but 6-year-old Luke. His tightly wound aunt, Elizabeth Egan, fears Luke is imagining things just as his mother does and her mother did. Fantasy is fearful according to Elizabeth whose childhood was spent trying to make up for a mother who disappeared from the small village in which they lived. Life was simply too dull there, and she left in search of adventure. Elizabeth's sister, Saoirse, is her mother's daughter, one more "free spirit" who doesn't let parenthood hold her back. Thus, it is left to Elizabeth to care for Luke.
After a sad childhood and a less than satisfactory adulthood, adventure, enjoyment are not a part of Elizabeth's existence; order, control, practicality are her mainstays. However, she had not counted on Ivan. According to him there was "nothing imaginary about him whatsoever." It was simply that people couldn't see him. He has everything Elizabeth does not - a sense of fun, spontaneity, and a lusty love of life.
Ivan arrived to bring a little cheer to Luke but soon discovers that Elizabeth could also use a new lease on life. It is not too long before she is able to see Ivan, too, which is where the fun begins.
After all, Ireland is the home of leprechauns, elves, and other magical creatures. So, what better setting for this imaginative story of a man who may or may not be real? It is belief in him that brings about change. For those who doubt, Ivan speaks of imaginary friends, "...we're here to help and assist those who need us, who believe in believing, and who can therefore see us."
"If You Could See Me Now" is a bit of a fantasy, a lot of enjoyment, and soon to be a musical starring Hugh Jackman.
- Gail Cooke
