Book review: Heads You Win, Jeffrey Archer (spoiler alert)

I loved this book, it is quite unique in that it really is two different stories - two alternative lives because it could have gone either way based on the toss of a coin made in the beginning of the story.  Both stories are fascinating and kept me on the edge of the seat until the very end where I suddenly was thrown into a complete confusion "What just happened?"  Only after re-reading the last several chapters again, I saw that Jeffrey Archer did not reconcile the two stories but gave us a dual ending.

I had no trouble keeping the two stories apart up until the very end. One story tells us what happens to Alexander Karpenko when he emigrates to England, the other how he life turns out after he emigrates to United States. I was wondering through out the book how he will resolve the two lives, how will the two story lines converge. But the ending was not what I expected at all.  The book ends with a surprise and a cliff-hanger. The surprise had to be that way to make the story believable. The cliff-hanger, however, is most  unusual.  Through out the book the heros were referred by nick names of Alexander - as Alex and Sasha - where as at the very end Jeffrey Archer began referring to the hero as Alexander so the reader could not really know which one of them the author was referring to.

After I finished the book I search for various "spoilers" to help me resolve the ending, and I found that I was not alone in my confusion. I will not reveal the spoilers here, but if you search for the word "spoiler" and the book title you will find them.

And no, the unresolved ending did not make me like the book less. Quite the opposite, it left me wanting more! What a way to end the story!

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★