“If This World Were Mine”

E. Lynn Harris

Friendship is a part of almost everyone’s life.

But to some, the meaning of “true” friendship is occasionally lost in the problems and troubles of life.

This is the case in E. Lynn Harris’ fourth book, “If This World Were Mine,” which is a study of four friends and the ways in which their friendship affects their lives.

The novel chronicles the lives of four people who were once close friends and first met during their days at Hampton University.

After meeting again at a reunion, Riley Denise Woodson, married and a mother of twins, invites her three former friends to start a monthly journal group.

For Riley, the group allows her to escape from her troubled everyday life, where her marriage is falling apart and her dreams of becoming a famous singer and poet have long gone unrealized.

The other members of the group also have problems of their own.

Dwight is a black man angry at the white race due to incidents in his youth. Yolanda is a quickly rising public relations person with dreams of owning a company.

Leland is a heartbroken gay psychiatrist who has given up on love and life after the loss of his partner to AIDS.

These shattered people begin to correspond, and they realize the strong bonds they share with each other. Unfortunately, these bonds are soon tested by career and romance conflicts.

However, Leland is still unhappy, despite his strong friendship with Yolanda and the love of his family. It is only when he is attacked and faces death that he can fully heal and move on with his life.

“If This World Were Mine,” despite some devastating events, remains optimistic throughout.

Though the novel is a good one, at times the story line can seem to drag, especially when the outcome becomes predictable in the last hundred pages of the book.

The book is easy to read, but my urge to turn on the television won out more than a few times during the course of the book.

2 Stars out of five

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Kelsey Foutch is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from Waterloo.