Twice Lived - by Joma West (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Torn between two families and two lives, a troubled teen must come to terms with losing half their world.

Two Worlds. Two Minds. One Life.

There are two Earths. Perfectly ordinary and existing in parallel. There are no doorways between them, no way to cross from one world to another. Unless you're a shifter.

Canna and Lily are the same person but they refuse to admit it. Their split psyche has forced them to shift randomly between worlds - between lives and between families - for far longer than they should. But one mind can't bear this much life. It'll break under the weight of it all. Soon they'll experience their final shift and settle at last in one world, but how can they prepare both families for the eventuality of them disappearing forever?

Twice Lived is a novel about family and friendships, and about loss and acceptance, and about the ways we learn to deal with the sheer randomness of life.

Review Quotes

"West does an admirable job portraying the tug-of-war between individuals as they grapple with issues of family, identity, and friendship... Complete with a shocking yet satisfying ending that showcases West's cleverness, this is an impressive feat." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"[A]n elegant metaphor for what we all face as our choices collapse into our settled identity." --New Scientist

"This novel magnifies the pressures families experience as teens decide who they'll become....Readers will find themselves torn by both families' predicament" --Library Journal

Praise for Face

"One of the more deeply interesting books I've read this year. Face has more ideas and more originality than most!" --Claire North

"This book is wicked, deliciously dark and penetrating. I think the less you know about it, the better but I will say two things: 1. Joma West is a genius. 2. This is the best thing I've read in a very long time." --Sylvain Neuvel

"In a world where the only thing that matters is your impact on other people, Hell is absolutely other people. Creepy, unsettling and thoroughly dystopic!" --Genevieve Cogman

"Face is a searing, patient, and unforgiving examination of status, class, and the foundations of humanity. With admirable precision and empathy, Joma West unravels the lies we tell society, our families, and ourselves. A fascinating debut." --Samit Basu

"West carves out a space all her own with this unsettling tale of a dystopian future where designer babies, social media, and racial tension collide in wickedly unpredictable ways." --The Chicago Review of Books

"In the end, in the tradition of many great science fiction novels, Face is about today, about those opinions, theories, and fears. It asks whether we can straighten our spines again and unsquint our eyes long enough to see one another for who we truly are and to connect on a real level." --Locus

"Ambitious...an absorbing, if unsettling, read." --Booklist

"Joma West burns through cherished illusions and offers a thoroughly entertaining take-down of our toxic technology and lethal fixation on status and celebrity. Wicked, witty, and wise, Face illuminates the nightmare at the heart of our dream widgets. This is not a dystopic scold we can ignore, but an elegant wake up call, a marvelous SF delight that breaks our minds wide open." --Andrea Hairston

"A fantastic, futuristic reimagining of the comedy of manners novel, written for our time. West's novel shocks and intrigues in equal measure." --T. L. Huchu

"Face is a compelling dystopian vision that will leave you longing for human touch. If it were an episode of Black Mirror, it would be one of the best." --Oliver Langmead

About the Author

Joma West is a third culture writer whose work straddles both fantasy and science fiction. Growing up bouncing between countries has given her work a certain displaced flavor and you can see many African and Asian influences in her writing. Joma's novella, Wild, won the 2016 MMU novella award and her 2022 debut novel, Face, was met with acclaim. She lives in Glasgo