Opposites do not just attract; they rely on one another. The tension between their conflicting instincts is what allows each to stay balanced. Without one, the scales are tipped, and the other begins to fall.
In The Life Swap, Sarah and Sinead are polar opposites. We meet these two sisters in their hometown of Derry on the morning of their mother’s funeral. Their characters are instantly distinguished by the way they deal with grief. Sarah busies herself fussing over preparations and the day’s schedule; meanwhile, Sinead awakens among sleeping bodies, leftover takeaway boxes and empty beer cans in the wreckage of her own coping mechanism.
A decade on, Sarah and Sinead have become estranged, and perhaps consequently, their lives have unravelled. Sarah, a single parent and out-of-work actor in Dublin, desperately seeks order in a life slipping into chaos. Sinead is in Belfast and on the verge of losing her closest friends and cushy job because of a party lifestyle she refuses to outgrow.
When circumstances force the sisters to swap lives, the novel poses its central question: to find the balance they need, can each learn to relinquish control to the other, and let love and trust overcome their opposing natures?
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The novel deals with grief and disarray, yet is full of antidotal humour. There are plenty of brilliant one-liners, and a shifting point of view lends itself to hilarious dramatic irony. One unforgettable sequence jumps from Sinead and the kids chaotically trashing the house to Sarah blissfully flirting with her sister’s unrequited love. It’s little wonder Craig was runner-up in the Unpublished Novel category at last year’s Comedy Women in Print Prize.
The novel is equally full of heart. The places and people in Craig’s novel feel alive. Even the most minor characters are given a satisfying arc as they face their flaws and either learn to grow or get what’s coming to them.
Although its middle section begins to meander, and some narrative tools are repeated, The Life Swap is an accomplished debut. It has the courage to dive into tough themes and the sensibility to keep the reader afloat with humour and lightheartedness. An ideal summer read that will make you laugh and tear up on the same page.
