How to Be Both

In modern-day England, a teenager, George (Georgia), has lost her mother. In Renaissance Italy, Francesco del Cossa, a young and talented fresco painter, is motherless as well. Smith gives us a choice: Read George’s half of the book first, or read Francesco’s. Whichever we choose, the lives of these two young people are intricately interlaced. Their sadness and joy; their way of looking at the world around them. George has been to see a fresco in Italy created by Francesco. She is in a complex, post-death conversation with her mother, filled with longing. Francesco (or should that be Francesca?) tells… show more.

This novel is a bit of a dark horse. I was initially doubtful about its premise, but, like any good book, it lured me into its story. I won’t go into too much detail, other than to say that the story is actually two stories that merge. One is of George, a contemporary 16-year-old girl who— struggling to come to terms with the sudden death of her mother— attends counselling sessions at her school during which she recalls more and more of the trip she and her mother took to Italy. It was there that she became intrigued by an… show more.