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Life in a Box by Einat Lifshitz Shem-Tov

What if you found out your entire life was a lie?One dark and rainy night, Eva, a young girl, receives the traumatic message that both her parents have died in a car crash. With no relatives, Eva is compelled to learn how to live on her own. But in the days that follow the accident, strange incidents begin to occur: she receives an odd phone call, a mysterious document is found in the pantry and a check is delivered by mail addressed to a person she does not know.

The two men in Eva’s life guide her along a mysterious path of discovery With the help of her high school friend, Roy, she opens the sealed boxes of her life and embarks on a fascinating journey. She meets another young man who holds a secret that will influence her forever. He falls in love with her and leads her into a world she could not have known to exist.

But at what price the pursuit of truth? From a quiet and insecure girl, Eva becomes an independent, confident, and assertive woman. Along with the two men in her life, she uncovers the most hidden and unimaginable secrets about her family and herself. But is she willing to pay any price to pursue the truth?

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Author’s Bio

Einat Lifshitz Shem Tov has been a guidance counselor and family therapist for more than twenty years. During that time she met with people who opened their hearts to her and heard stories that made her squirm. Sometimes it was very hard to listen, but when she succeeded in helping people to make even a small change, it was worth it. Many of those stories were about complicated relationships, and some provided inspiration for her books. The characters she creates are confronted with difficult dilemmas, secrets, intricate romances, and unresolved pasts. The Interesting thing is that even though she creates the problems that appear in her stories, she is always curious to know how they will be solved. Being yourself and not letting others control you or make choices for you is a life motto for her. Einat gives lectures about fulfillment, pursuing one’s dreams, and the ability to choose. This is her first published book; the second one is now undergoing the editing process.
Einat loves to travel, especially to the East. She has been in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and more. Sometimes she forgets that she is not in her teens anymore. She has trekked in the Himalayas and slept in hostels with no hot water or electricity, but she enjoyed every minute of it. She also enjoys folk dancing and loves dogs. Einat lives in a lovely village in Israel with her husband, two daughters, and Breezer, her dog.

My Review

4 stars

Twenty year old Eva has just lost her parents to a car accident. She is lost and adrift in their house. As she goes from one place to another, she has memories of how hard her father was as she remembers how he told her she can’t rely on others she only has herself. Her mother wasn’t any better being as weak as she was and floating around in her kitchen doing everything she was told.

But as Eva start going through the house, she is discovering strange things. First a mysterious birth certificate in the pantry and then a refund check for a strange woman. She is curious about who this woman is and starts looking into her. But she also discovers boxes of stuff from her life in the basement and starts going through them. These things bring back memories of Eva’s life and many things that she has forgotten.

Eva is shaken by the loss of her parents but curious about this mystery woman that she has never heard about. She decides to start tracking her down with the help of her childhood friend Roy, her co-worker, and another man she meets. They have their work cut out for them since every clue they have seems to lead to a dead end.

Then you have Eva’s life. She didn’t come from the most loving family and had her own issues. But as she goes through the boxes and remembers different parts of her life you get a bigger picture of what was going on. Her mother was not as weak as she though. And there was so much more to her father.

I really enjoyed this book. I easily got caught in it and was very curious at who this mystery woman was. It was a great journey watching Eva go from this shy and closed off person to the strong woman she becomes. This is a good story and one that I think people will enjoy reading.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I would like to thank Ari at Candid Book Reviews for the opportunity to read and share this book.