If Only It Were True - Levy

I picked up this book at a library book sale and had no idea what it was about (I tend to do that, I think the summary on the jacket always gives too much away so I don't read it.) "If Only It Were True" is Marc Levy's first novel and it reads like one. It's simple, it's a bit rough on the edges and the plot isn't catchy or dramatic. I would be impressed if someone told me they wrote this for NaNoWriMo, but not as a published novel (touted as an "instant bestseller in France!")

The story is about a woman who is left in a coma after a car accident. Through the magic of the imagination, her spirit is able to leave her body and travel invisibly, eavesdropping and invading the lives of anyone she chooses. No one is able to see this spirit except for the man who lives in what used to be her apartment. No reason is given for this unique ability, other than the fact that he's handsome and single and she's a looker despite being in a coma. The two embark on an uneducated, and eventually unrealistic (if you have already gotten past the idea of the ghost to begin with) journey to keep her coma-body alive and to get her spirt reunited with her physical being.

As I said, the plot isn't complicated, nor realistic. The dialogue and interactions between characters are simple, unpolished and curt. The book was a quick and easy read, taking me perhaps two hours. I am certain I will have forgotten (gladly) the context within the same time frame.

For a $.50 library sale book, I did not get my money's worth on this one.