Eternities sent Alaric and Naia back to a Withern Rise of their grandfather’s childhood, where a tragic accident left its mark on the family. Each section of The Underwood See begins with a continuing description of thirty-two year-old Naia, forever marked by the switch in realities which only she re members, driving home to Withern Rise to give birth to a baby. The events between these short sections take place in at least eight parallel realities and concern the divergent fates of several Alarics and his sets of parents. The writing is vivid and sure, but the splintering of characters prevents emotional engagement with them. The series’s greatest strength is its precise and loving description of one small patch of land in Great Britain and the people who may have resided there. Sequels are Small Eternities (Greenwillow, 2005) and The Underwood See (Greenwillow, 2007) . mac

Originally published by Orchard Books Great Britain, in 2003.

Alaric

It's been two years since his mother died in a terrible train crash, and Alaric's life continues to unravel. He and his father are barely on speaking terms, and Withern Rise, their Victorian mansion, is in shambles. Trapped at home during a blizzard, Alaric stumbles into a parallel world; a reality in which his mother is still alive. There's only one problem ... someone else is living his life.

Naia

Naia tries not to dwell on the horrible accident two years ago that nearly took her mother away. Now that life with her parents in Withern Rise has returned to normal, Naia thinks the worst is behind her. But during a freak snowstorm she's confronted by a stranger. Why does this boy look like her? Why does he have the same thoughts? The same memories? Who is he?

Alaric's and Naia's discovery of each other sets off an electrifying chain of events. And as their lives - and lifelines - entwine, the two teenagers uncover a truth with the power to rearrange, or even erase, their very existence.