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mrsfligs's review
3.0
Story Overview
Abigail Bennett lives a controlled and sterile life. She is not married, has no close friends, and works too much. She prefers it this way. After all, she created it. But when her sister Hailey commits suicide, Abigail's controlled world falls apart, and she goes looking for answers as to why her sister did what she did. In Abigail's mind, the answer lies with Tyler Kamp. So Abigail sets off on a quest to find Tyler. But Tyler has disappeared from the Florida town where they both live so Abigail tracks him down to Canada. Her journey takes her to the small tourist town of Revell, where she finds Tyler and more than she expected.
My Thoughts
This book is structured so that you follow the story on three levels -- Abigail's quest to find Tyler, Abigail's reactions upon finding Hailey's body, and glimpses into the family history shared by Abigail and Hailey. Because of this structure, reading the book is like peeling back the layers of an onion -- you get a little bit more information as each of the stories progress. I thought this was an effective structure, and the author does a good job of tying all the threads together in a coherent whole.
To me, this read like an accurate picture of a very dysfunctional family. Lou (the father) is distant and resentful to Abigail because she takes away his wife's attention upon her birth, but he falls instantly in love with Hailey and cannot bring himself to accept her problems. Melody (the mother) is a vibrant young mother who fades away from herself and her family after giving birth to Hailey. Hailey is plagued with mental illness (probably bipolar disorder) that no one in the family can bring themselves to face or understand. All of this leaves Abigail in the position of being sister, mother, mediator, and caretaker to Hailey. But, understandably, Abigail yearns for a "normal" life. She continually tries to break free from her family -- to live a life free of Hailey's dramas and problems. But every time Abigail pulls away, Hailey finds a way to draw her back.
I found the "flashback" sequences to Abigail's childhood to be compelling. I can only imagine how difficult it is to live with a family member who has mental health problems. In the Bennett family, everything revolves around Hailey and how her mental health is at the time. If Hailey is stable, life is good. If Hailey falls apart, life is bad. As the "normal" child, Abigail is kind of shortchanged by having to center her life around Hailey -- a situation that creates a love-hate relationship between the sisters.
The sequences where Abigail is tracking down Tyler Kamp were less effective to me. I struggled to believe some of Abigail's decision-making processes (especially her decision of how to deal with Tyler). Another issue for me was the character of Elijah, who ends up being Abigail's employer and Tyler's uncle. This was a little too convenient for me, but I suspect that the Eli character exists to be Abigail's guide through her crisis. It might sound odd, but it didn't dawn on me that this was a Christian-based book until the scenes with Eli toward the end of the book. Because I didn't know it was a Christian book, I was a bit confused about how the relationship between Eli and Abigail developed. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Christian fiction, I just don't seek it out and I wasn't aware of the author's writing slant until the end of the book. (I got the book via LibraryThing's Early Reviewer Program.) In a way, I think it was a tribute to the book that it is a good story first and a Christian book second. I'm not saying the relationship between Eli and Abigail doesn't work, but it is definitely the part that makes this a Christian book and not just another contemporary fiction novel. I just didn't see it coming, and it took me by surprise.
One of the things I did enjoy was the setting of the winery in the sequences where Abigail tracks down Tyler Kamp. There was some interesting writing about the winery and the process of making wines that I actually enjoyed and learned from -- and I'm not even a wine drinker!
The last thing I want to share is the e.e. cummings poem that appears at the end of the book. I love e.e. cummings and I hadn't seen this poem, and I found it very lovely and wanted to share it here.
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
"i carry your heart with me" by e.e. cummings
Abigail Bennett lives a controlled and sterile life. She is not married, has no close friends, and works too much. She prefers it this way. After all, she created it. But when her sister Hailey commits suicide, Abigail's controlled world falls apart, and she goes looking for answers as to why her sister did what she did. In Abigail's mind, the answer lies with Tyler Kamp. So Abigail sets off on a quest to find Tyler. But Tyler has disappeared from the Florida town where they both live so Abigail tracks him down to Canada. Her journey takes her to the small tourist town of Revell, where she finds Tyler and more than she expected.
My Thoughts
This book is structured so that you follow the story on three levels -- Abigail's quest to find Tyler, Abigail's reactions upon finding Hailey's body, and glimpses into the family history shared by Abigail and Hailey. Because of this structure, reading the book is like peeling back the layers of an onion -- you get a little bit more information as each of the stories progress. I thought this was an effective structure, and the author does a good job of tying all the threads together in a coherent whole.
To me, this read like an accurate picture of a very dysfunctional family. Lou (the father) is distant and resentful to Abigail because she takes away his wife's attention upon her birth, but he falls instantly in love with Hailey and cannot bring himself to accept her problems. Melody (the mother) is a vibrant young mother who fades away from herself and her family after giving birth to Hailey. Hailey is plagued with mental illness (probably bipolar disorder) that no one in the family can bring themselves to face or understand. All of this leaves Abigail in the position of being sister, mother, mediator, and caretaker to Hailey. But, understandably, Abigail yearns for a "normal" life. She continually tries to break free from her family -- to live a life free of Hailey's dramas and problems. But every time Abigail pulls away, Hailey finds a way to draw her back.
I found the "flashback" sequences to Abigail's childhood to be compelling. I can only imagine how difficult it is to live with a family member who has mental health problems. In the Bennett family, everything revolves around Hailey and how her mental health is at the time. If Hailey is stable, life is good. If Hailey falls apart, life is bad. As the "normal" child, Abigail is kind of shortchanged by having to center her life around Hailey -- a situation that creates a love-hate relationship between the sisters.
The sequences where Abigail is tracking down Tyler Kamp were less effective to me. I struggled to believe some of Abigail's decision-making processes (especially her decision of how to deal with Tyler). Another issue for me was the character of Elijah, who ends up being Abigail's employer and Tyler's uncle. This was a little too convenient for me, but I suspect that the Eli character exists to be Abigail's guide through her crisis. It might sound odd, but it didn't dawn on me that this was a Christian-based book until the scenes with Eli toward the end of the book. Because I didn't know it was a Christian book, I was a bit confused about how the relationship between Eli and Abigail developed. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Christian fiction, I just don't seek it out and I wasn't aware of the author's writing slant until the end of the book. (I got the book via LibraryThing's Early Reviewer Program.) In a way, I think it was a tribute to the book that it is a good story first and a Christian book second. I'm not saying the relationship between Eli and Abigail doesn't work, but it is definitely the part that makes this a Christian book and not just another contemporary fiction novel. I just didn't see it coming, and it took me by surprise.
One of the things I did enjoy was the setting of the winery in the sequences where Abigail tracks down Tyler Kamp. There was some interesting writing about the winery and the process of making wines that I actually enjoyed and learned from -- and I'm not even a wine drinker!
The last thing I want to share is the e.e. cummings poem that appears at the end of the book. I love e.e. cummings and I hadn't seen this poem, and I found it very lovely and wanted to share it here.
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)
"i carry your heart with me" by e.e. cummings
roseice's review
5.0
This book was incredible. To me, a triumph of fiction. It was darkly engrossing, heart-wrenching, realistic. The strange format it was written in took a bit of getting used to, but by the end of the book, I wouldn't have had it any other way.
heatherjp65's review
3.0
I mostly liked this book. Learning a bit more about mental illness was helpful. The beginning and the end were the best parts for me. The middle seemed to drag. I so want to go visit the Pacific Northwest!
catrev's review
4.0
The Moment Between by Nicole Baart is a haunting and poignant elegy from one sister to another. Abigail Bennett has spent much of her life trying to become her own person outside of the ties of her dysfunctional family. Bi-polar sister Hailey has been the center around which the family orbited, leaving little attention or affection for Abigail. Her attempts to flee their reach resulted in a suicide attempt by Hailey and then the death of their mother. Abigail's response is to retreat into a life without dreams or hopes lived simply in the mundane day to day. Hailey pulls Abigail back into her orbit one final time with her suicide, but this time Abigail is the one spiraling out of control. She abandons her controlled and planned existence to track down the other person she feels is responsible for Hailey's death: Tyler Kamp. The search for Tyler takes her far out of her comfort zone and forces her to not only face her past, but her future as well. Baart writes lyrically and beautifully. The writing at the beginning of the story has a certain distance keeping the reader at arm's length, much like Abigail has kept life. But as cracks appear in her exterior, the writing warms up and becomes stronger, more passionate, pulling the reader deeply into the story. Baart raises many questions: who has the right of vengeance, how responsible are we for the actions of others, what does true love look like? It's a perfect story for book clubs and will keep readers thinking about the ending long after the cover is closed.
alittlebookish's review
3.0
I got this book from Library Thing as part of the Early Reviewers program. Overall, I enjoyed this book but there were some things in it I found a little unbelievable. I found the images of Hailey's suicide to be quite vivid and heartbreaking and I also found that Hailey's struggle with her mental health also to be quite compelling. The relationship between the two sisters was quite remarkable. On one hand Abigail loves Hailey like a mother would while on the other hand she resents her at times for not being able to have her own life apart from taking care of her sister. I found this dynamic to be believable and for this part I really enjoyed Abilgail's character.
On the other hand, there were some parts that I struggled believing. While I was raised Roman Catholic and can appreciate the religion, I found that at the end of the book the whole aspect of communion didn't fit with the rest of the book. Yes, there were religious undertones throughout but I found this part of the book to be a little too over the top. I also found that Abigail's obsession with Tyler to be a little too dramatic. While it fuels the whole book and her reason for going to Canada I think that trying to kill Tyler was again over the top. It would have suffised if she went there for self- discovery or to try to come to terms with what Hailey did by trying to place blame on Tyler. I just think that once Abigail gets to Canada and meets Tyler, the act of actually trying to kill would likely not have been there.
Overall, like I said, I quite enjoyed the book, there are just parts that I could have done without. I give this book a 3.5 out of 5
On the other hand, there were some parts that I struggled believing. While I was raised Roman Catholic and can appreciate the religion, I found that at the end of the book the whole aspect of communion didn't fit with the rest of the book. Yes, there were religious undertones throughout but I found this part of the book to be a little too over the top. I also found that Abigail's obsession with Tyler to be a little too dramatic. While it fuels the whole book and her reason for going to Canada I think that trying to kill Tyler was again over the top. It would have suffised if she went there for self- discovery or to try to come to terms with what Hailey did by trying to place blame on Tyler. I just think that once Abigail gets to Canada and meets Tyler, the act of actually trying to kill would likely not have been there.
Overall, like I said, I quite enjoyed the book, there are just parts that I could have done without. I give this book a 3.5 out of 5
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