Life Strikes Back is book two in the Back in a Year series by Candace MacPhie. Readers who enjoy travel memoirs will find many a delight in the pages of this novel as author MacPhie continues her travel saga across Eastern Europe. If you’ve read book one: Finding Color then you’re not going to want to miss out on this continuation of her story. Haven’t read book one? No worries! You can dive into this book with no problems, but it’ll be more enjoyable if you’ve started from the beginning. Either way, you’re in for a delight.
Life Strikes Back grabs readers’ attention with a cover that depicts on the left a train depot with a train that appears to be ready to depart. On the right is an image of a historic building along with a blonde woman holding a map with a backpack. This cover sets the mood for the reader by putting us in the frame of mind to experience adventure along with author MacPhie and see where her travels take her.
Are you ready to go back to the 1990s? Back when the internet was just beginning its spread around the world? Dial-up (collective shudder) was the only means of connection and cell phones? They weren’t even mobile yet! So all the things we take for granted today? Yeah, author MacPhie managed without.
Life Strikes Back begins with author MacPhie on the train exiting Russia. Things become pretty tense not long into the story. Border Police for Russia, honestly, they sound absolutely intimidating. All in all, author MacPhie handles it pretty well. Even if she is missing an article of clothing at the time. LOL! It’s when she crosses over to Estonia that things get wild. What happens? Well, you’ll have to read the book for yourself to find out!
Author MacPhie finds herself in a situation that would have probably had most, if not all of us, in a dire panic. But thankfully, as scary as it comes off, everything ends up working out for her. Of course, her friend Khadejah’s “reaction” to the whole situation…brings more than a little spot of humor to the whole debacle.
With each turn of the page author MacPhie details in Life Strikes Back her journey as she goes from one country to the next. She experiences a variety of good accommodations and ones that would have made your hair curl. Imagine wet floors, wet mattresses, and the stench of mold and mildew. Yes, cue a shudder of disgust and horror.
Author MacPhie’s decision to backpack across the country is absolutely a thrilling objective. Anything could happen and anything could go wrong. But the upside is that she has a friend at her side along the way. At random intervals author MacPhie gives readers e-mails that she sent home to family and friends, or ones that she sent to the lover who broke her heart.
One element that readers are truly going to appreciate about this book is how author MacPhie keeps things so real. We all are expecting sunny days, clear skies – or in some cases – just the right amount of clouds, but what she gets? Lots of rainy days, then days of high heat and long side trips based on recommendations of “oh it was so fantastic! You must go!” Valuable lessons are learned in those moments, but you only really realize it’s a lesson learned…after the fact. By “after the fact” we mean after the book has been written. LOL!
In Life Strikes Back author MacPhie details the good and the bad. She meets some truly amazing people that she develops happy relationships with, and then there are some…that she could have really done without. Honestly, a few of the people who pop up – “The Drip” and “Bionic Typer” just name a couple, are some of them. Honestly, “Bionic Typer” was one of the most bizarre. When you get to where he’s mentioned for the first time, and when he pops up again…you’ll absolutely understand why we say this.
Author MacPhie knows how to write a story because Life Strikes Back flows beautifully. You are getting just the right amount of details that keep you page-turning to find out where she’s going next. Each chapter highlights different countries. The story moves quickly by focusing on what’s most important to the author at this particular moment.
Readers are going to enjoy the pacing as you’re kept engaged without too many unnecessary details. If anything we’d complain about some places not having enough details. One in particular when she and Khadejah manage to shake one particular hanger-on when they’re driving the car across Croatia. What happened with him?
Author MacPhie doesn’t just focus on the travel mishaps that pop up here and there. She also shines a light on some of the dangers of backpacking as a woman. Author MacPhie shares harrowing events in this book that she suffered through. It will break your heart reading how in the first incident, no one did anything to help her. It’s horrifying, to say the least. While a second “incident” takes place, thankfully someone steps in and helps her. That moment gives her and us readers hope that there are still good people willing to step in out there.
One element of Life Strikes Back that really struck us is when author MacPhie pays a visit to the infamous Auschwitz. For those who have never been to this site, she paints a picture of the things that she sees and shares her own emotions and thoughts at the things she sees. It will bring tears to your eyes learning and imagining what so many must have experienced there before it was all said and done.
The camaraderie that is found in these pages brings a refreshing sense of humor to the overall storyline. Author MacPhie has her low points, but you quickly understand why. This backpacking trip is also meant to help her deal with the death of her mother. It’s taken away from her comfort zone, but it has instilled in her a sense of purpose. Plus, regardless of some of the negatives she’s experienced, it has made her happy.
As this story draws to a close, author MacPhie and her friend, Khadejah prepare to do something that we knew was going to happen eventually, but the timetable gets sped up. We’re by no means ready for the two friends to separate for any period of time, but author MacPhie’s heart is leading her in another direction. (So much for “sisters before misters.”) We’re kidding!!!! LOL!
Honestly, Life Strikes Back is one of those books that when you reach the final pages…you’re going to have an “Oh! Come on!” moment. Why do we say this? Because the story ends. Rather abruptly, too. So rude! LOL! Well, fine, in actuality it’s a perfect way to make sure that we, the readers, are eagerly scrabbling for book three. Author MacPhie gives a tiny teaser, but it’s just enough to give you a taste. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Dearest reader, you may not be a fan of nonfiction novels or even travel memoirs but if you read one piece of nonfiction this year, we cannot encourage you enough to pick this book up. Life Strikes Back is delightful, refreshing, gripping, has just the right amount of humor, and is exciting. If we didn’t know any better we’d think this book was a work of fiction instead of the author detailing her experiences from a backpacking journey. But honestly, what is stranger than real life?
Life Strikes Back is an enjoyable novel detailing author MacPhie’s time traveling through Eastern Europe. It’s not necessary to have read the previous book, but we’re pretty sure that when you come to this book’s end, you’ll be eager to go back to the beginning of the journey to find out how it starts, witness the heartbreak, the kindling of friendships, and so much more. Until the next time.
Pros:
- Gripping storyline
- Well detailed
- Nice amount of humor
- Good pace
- Emotional (in places)
Cons:
- Lacking some details in places
Scribble's Worth 