My Second Life

What if you could be reborn to atone for the sins of your previous life? That’s the idea behind this languid mystery from first-time author Bird. Emma Trees died at age 22 only to be resurrected six years later as Ana Ross. Now 15, Ana remembers her previous life with some longing, but it isn’t until a chance meeting with a woman she knew as Emma that Ana realizes that she might have been brought back for a reason—to seek forgiveness for the death of a child. Guilt-ridden and confused, Ana seeks to learn more about her life as Emma and the accident she believes she was responsible for, but she winds up unraveling a decades-old secret that leaves her reeling. Bird’s story is slow to build, and though the concept is intriguing, little is done to flesh out Ana’s character, or Emma’s, beyond the traumatic event around which the story revolves. Ana’s relationship with a boy from school evolves quickly but seems unnecessary, and what is meant to be the explosive revelatory scene doesn’t pack the intended emotional punch. Ages 12–up. (Jan.)