Amaze-a-loo! A Lifetime of Impossible Days by Tabitha Bird is my second novel from this talented Australian author, but it was published two years before The Emporium of Imagination rocked my world and made it straight onto my Top 5 Books of 2021 list. I was keen to pick up her debut and with a matching signed bookmark in hand, I began reading with high expectations.

In A Lifetime of Impossible Days, Willa Waters is our main character and we meet her at age 8 (Super Gumboots Willa), age 33 (Middle Willa) and age 93 (Silver Willa). Thanks to a mysterious box with strange instructions, Willa is able to visit her future selves, and her future selves can also visit with her. At one point in Willa's life there's a tragedy and the three Willas need to work together in order to stop it from happening.

Once again, Tabitha Bird's writing is immersive and young Willa was such a likeable character you could even say she was amaze-a-loo! (One of her favourite sayings).

Willa's Grammy is a warm, wise, loving and memorable character and the midnight tea parties sounded magical and wondrous. The author is able to tap into family love and emotion in such a raw and moving way, I was spellbound.

" 'Oh, don't worry dear. I have that problem, too.' I want to say things that are blankets around this little girl's shoulders." Page 208

For those worried about getting lost in the perspectives of each of the Willas, the author has thoughtfully named each chapter, constantly reminding the reader of who we are 'with' so to speak. Having said that, by the end of the novel I did find the time travel aspect a little timey-wimey and wasn't able to keep up with all of the mechanics. Thankfully it didn't hamper my ability to follow the overarching narrative, but it did interrupt my thoughts while reading, costing it one star in my review.

A Lifetime of Impossible Days by Tabitha Bird is an exploration of memory, time, ageing, trauma, abuse, grief and ultimately the power of love. It's also about changing the future and dealing with the past with many life lessons in between.

Here, Grammy gives Willa some advice on regret.

"'Regret is expensive in ways you can't imagine.' My voice is choked. 'What if remembering also costs too much?' Grammy [says] 'Ah, Willa. That's always the question when we're faced with a challenge. What will it all cost? Remembering your past and dealing with it will no doubt be expensive. But I'm telling you, forgetting costs more.' There's such a deepness in Grammy's eyes, a loss or hurt from so long ago that it seems outside of time itself." Page 163

Make sure to have some jam drops nearby when reading this uniquely Australian magical realism novel that is bound to warm your heart. ( )

So beautiful!!! ( )

I just finished this amazing book. It is beautiful, magical and you will fall in love with the three Willas. I loved every part of their story, even the tough bits. The imagination of this debut author is wonderful and I highly recommend you read this book. Thank you Tabitha for your wonderful words and a story that is both tragic and uplifting at the same time. It's been a long time since I've read a book and gone "WOW", but A Lifetime of Impossible Days has done that. Looking forward to what you write next Tabitha because, with your writing style, I'm sure you will delight us again and again. ( )

I totally connected with the three ages of Willa. Willa at 8 was feisty and a great teller of stories. Silver Willa at 93 had dementia, but somehow managed to be present when she was needed most. Middle Willa at 33 made my heart ache, she was so full of grief and guilt. This is a story about domestic violence, told in a way that centers on how Willa coped with it - using a jam jar, a collection of coloured gum boots and her imagination. To keep a connection with this amazing book and the Willas, I’m going to start having the occasional midnight tea party. ( )

A Lifetime of Impossible Days is an impossibly enchanting debut from Tabitha Bird.

Silver Willa is 93 when she insists that her carer takes her into town on the first of June 2050 to post two Very Important Boxes.
Middle Willa is 33 years old when she receives a collection slip from the post office that she has every intention of ignoring.
Super Gumboots Willa is 8 years old when she finds a battered box, inside is a jar of water, accompanied by a note that says: 'One ocean: plant in the backyard.', which she does, while wishing for the impossible.

“Here’s what I know about impossible things. We can’t command them, but we can allow space for them in our minds.”

When the impossible happens, Super Gumboot Willa hopes it is an opportunity to save herself, and her younger sister, Lottie. Middle Willa refuses to acknowledge that the impossible offers any chance of change. Silver Willa remembers only that the impossible is her only hope.

This is a compassionate, emotional journey of tragedy, trauma, loss, love, forgiveness, and hope. I was moved to tears more than once by A Lifetime of Impossible Days. Though sensitively handled, the pain of Willa’s experiences are at times overwhelming as Bird explores the experience of family violence and abuse, and it’s lasting repercussions. Yet those tears also came when the Willa’s achieved the seemingly impossible, for their courage, and strength.

“Because I know one thing, Willa. We are all the ages we have ever been. We carry around our trauma. And if we have unfinished business at one of those ages we can’t move on to have a healthy adult life.”

Beautifully crafted, the past, present and future are deftly woven together, a strand at a time, ensuring the impossible makes sense. It requires an extraordinary imagination to write such a complex story, though thankfully only an ordinary one to appreciate it.

“We’re all stories, Willa. How else do you tell a story if you don’t make it all up? Sometimes, when everything seems lost, you just have to keep making stuff up”

A whimsical, heart-rending, and insightful novel, i was captivated by Willa’s journey. Amaze-a-loo, Tabitha Bird. ( )