Coincidence by J.W. Ironmonger

Coincidence by J.W. Ironmonger is a cleverly written novel about how fate and coincidences come together in life. What chances and paths we take in our life lead us to our destiny? Can we ever really make sense of it all? Probably not, but it is a fun ride with the characters in this novel!

Book Description

“What determines the course of our lives? Chance . . . or destiny?

On Midsummer's Day, 1982, three-year-old Azalea Ives is found alone at a seaside fairground.

One year later, her mother's body washes up on a beach—her link to Azalea unnoticed.

On Midsummer's Day, 1992, her adoptive parents are killed in a Ugandan rebel uprising; Azalea is narrowly rescued by a figure from her past.

Terrified that she, too, will meet her fate on Midsummer's Day, Azalea approaches Thomas Post, an expert in debunking coincidences. Azalea's past, he insists, is random—but as Midsummer's Day approaches, he worries that she may bring fate upon herself.” – Coincidence

My Thoughts

Coincidence follows the life of Azalea, and how significant events happen to her and her family members on Midsummer’s Day. Abandoned on a Midsummer’s Day, her mother’s body is found on the same day (one year later), and then her parents that adopted her, were killed on the same day (ten years after she was found). Coincidence? Azalea thinks it is more than that, and begins to think that her fate with death will come for her on Midsummer’s Day, too.

Azalea meets a man, Thomas Post, who is rational and does not believe in these coincidences as anything other than that. The romance between the two doesn’t seem to shake Azalea’s feelings about her fate, and Thomas starts to think that she might be inching closer to that fate based on her thoughts and actions of it.

Overall, this is an interesting novel that makes the reader think about fate, coincidence, and the bigger picture. I enjoyed reading it, and think that if you also like books with meaning behind it, this would be a good one for you to read, too.

* Thank you to the publisher of Coincidence, Harper Perennial, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.