BOOK REVIEW: EVERGREENS by Liam Brown

EVERGREENS by Liame Brown This fast-paced page-turner by Liame Brown poses the age-old question, Who Wants to Live Forever? The answer, it seems, is not as straightforward as we might think, particularly when the two people in a romantic relationship hold diametrically opposite viewpoints on the issue. The story is told from two points of view and spans a period of sixty-five years. We first meet Sophie and Ben in the year 2070 as elderly Sophie watches a youthful Ben as he lies in his hospital bed, aging in front of her eyes. Rewind back to 2005 when Ben and Sophie meet for the first time as carefree nineteen year old backpackers traveling during their gap year. Ben comes from a troubled, more deprived childhood while Sophie's life has been one of comfort and privilege, which Ben finds somewhat intimidating. So begins their on-again, off-again relationship which takes many twists and turns through the years, the most significant one being when Ben signs up for the Evergreens Project which guarantees that the clients will not age physically and will stay twenty-one forever. the problem is that Ben lacks motivation and becomes stuck in a rut with all the time in the world to figure out what he wants to do and if he even wants to do it.

The novel is a fascinating exploration of what might happen to a person facing a life that could go on forever. Suddenly priorities change, and relationships become risky when you know you'll outlive all your friends and you'll do it as someone who stays permanently young. The same goes for intimate relationships which might work, but only for a limited length of time before the differences between you and your aging partner become too great. Then there's the conflict between your youthful body and your aging mind and character. You might have the body of a twenty-one year old, but your experience and attitude towards life will be that of a fifty-year-old, which poses all kinds of challenges in terms of how you want to spend your time. Liame Brown explores these questions and more through the lens of Ben and Sophie's relationship. Only later does he widen his scope and begin to consider the societal effects that age-reversal technology might have on society. I'd like to have seen more of this during the novel, but perhaps narrowing the scope is a more realistic way to deal with such a massive question. Overall this was an enjoyable read with an intriguing premise. Thanks to Legend Press for sending me an early copy to review.