At its debut, A DAY LIKE THIS spent seven weeks topping the Amazon charts in the US and UK. A book club favorite, it’s now available in print and audio in numerous countries and several translations. It was a finalist for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association Star Award for Outstanding Debut.
Over 30,000 ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑ on Amazon and Goodreads.
“A literary masterpiece of magical realism” — Midwest Book Review
What if everything you’ve ever loved, ever known, ever believed to be true…just disappeared?
Annie Beyers has everything―a beautiful house, a loving husband, and an adorable daughter. It’s a day like any other when she takes Hannah to the pediatrician…until she wakes hours later from a car accident. When she asks for her daughter, confused doctors tell Annie that Hannah never existed. In fact, nothing after waking from the crash is the same as Annie remembers. Five happy years of her life apparently never happened.
A child who no longer exists…
Annie’s marriage is coming to an end. Now a successful artist living in Manhattan, she’s no longer home in their beloved upstate farmhouse. Her long-estranged sister is more like a best friend, and her recently deceased dog is alive and well.
A life that is not her own…
With each passing day, Annie’s remembered past and unfamiliar present begin to blur. Haunted by visions of Hannah, and with knowledge of things she can’t explain, Annie wonders…is everyone lying to her?
A journey to heal her future...
The search for answers leads Annie down an illuminating path far from home, to reconcile the memories with reality and to discover the truth about the life she’s living.
Behind the Story
I’m frequently asked what inspired me to write A Day Like This. The answer comes in several parts and it was only when I wove them together that Annie’s story was born. It first began with an idea I had while driving with my young daughter on a rural, winding road one rainy day: “What if we were in an accident and when I woke up in the hospital, they couldn’t find her?” As a mother, the thought made me shiver. I often thought it would make an interesting storyline to explore and had so many possibilities.
And then there was the idea of a woman losing a beloved house, and the way we tend to develop a kind of rosy recollection about past times and places in our lives. The story is often very much like a love letter to her “Yellow House” which becomes a sort of living, breathing character in the book. I was very much inspired by the beautiful area of the Catskill mountains, and Sullivan County, in particular, where I used to live. In that way, there is a big part of my heart in this book.
Somewhere along the way, I came across the Welsh word Hiraeth, which is roughly translated to: A homesickness or longing to return to a home or place that you can’t return to, or never existed. That phrase helped create the overall mood of the book and the feeling of Annie’s ennui that I think many of us have felt, even in a seemingly perfect life.
Finally, I came across some very strange and compelling real-world accounts of people who claim to have experienced something similar as Annie (albeit somewhat less dramatic.) This led me down a rabbit hole into some fascinating research into the intersections of science and the supernatural.
This is a story about the way we question and second-guess the paths we choose and the voice that lives inside us, begging to be heard. It’s my hope that Annie’s story will inspire you to tune into this inner voice, (and maybe even start to see the magic hovering around you in everyday life.)
A Day Like This was the first book I ever put out into the world, and I’m still amazed by the success it’s seen. Since that time, it’s been translated into several languages, received over 30,000 reviews from readers all over the world, topped numerous charts, and is currently being adapted for the screen.
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Reviews
“A literary masterpiece of magical realism, A Day Like This is a riveting read and showcases author Kelley McNeil’s impressive flair for original and narrative driven storytelling.”
““Masterfully crafted and wonderfully original, A Day Like This is storytelling at its best, leaving you with the tingly “what if” feeling that keeps you wondering about the story and the possibilities for your own life long after the last page is turned.” ”
““. . . fresh and absorbing” ”
““The best books are those that force us into another’s shoes, into their joys and sorrows, their loves and their losses. Kelley McNeil’s A Day Like This is one of those books. A thoughtful tale rich in both question and possibility, plumbing the mysteries of diverging paths, roads not taken, and the journey toward self-acceptance. This beautiful debut is guaranteed to echo long after the last page is turned.”
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““When we fantasize about different paths we might have taken, we usually think about how our lives would be better—but how much would we have lost to arrive there? In her gorgeous debut, Kelley McNeil explores the question of “what if” through a brilliant premise that kept me captivated hour after hour. This book is bursting with heartache and love, and with tremendous empathy for its genuine and likeable characters—including a beloved house. A Day Like This is smart, poignant, and poetic, the story itself like the main character’s life, a blossom that unfolds in fascinating layers.” ”
““Kelley McNeil has woven a fascinating tale that kept me guessing all the way through, surprising me at every turn. A wonderful, fast-paced read.”
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““Intriguing and moving, A Day Like This is the compelling story of one woman’s search for the truth. You’ll feel every beat of Annie’s heartache and longing as, driven by love and loss, she works to uncover the clues to her past. Tender, evocative and hard to put down, this is the perfect read for anyone who has ever wondered how a different life choice might have played out.””