Book review: If You Could See Me Now

This delightful book is currently in production for an upcoming movie, which I just discovered as I googled the title.

It's about a lonely boy whose difficult relationship with his aunt improves after they both begin to share an invisible friend. Family issues such as alcoholism and abandonment have led to skewed relations between the two, who have been thrust together after the boy's mother leaves him in his aunt's care. The appearance of Ivan, an invisible friend, slowly changes their ability to relate, breaking down barriers.

This whimsical book is actually narrated in part by Ivan, the invisible friend, who challenges the reader to question whether invisible friends are real - or not. Through the use of various characters' voices in the book, the author manages to draw the reader into a world that is simultaneously "unbelievable" - and very real.

I highly recommend this book for adults and older teens. This book is available on tape from the National Library for the Blind and Handicapped as RC 61534.

[visual description: The book cover is shown with the title If You Could See Me Now across the top and the author's name Cecelia Ahearn below . There is a drawing of a woman in a red dress (the body is shown from the waist down) walking through a field of flowers.]