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mar's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, Racial slurs, Racism, Death of parent, and Hate crime
Moderate: Infidelity, Child death, and Gun violence
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Car accident, Sexual content, Animal death, Homophobia, and Terminal illness
rknitss's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This is a beautifully written book that deals with grief, survivors, guilt, and perception of reality. It is also horror fiction that plays (gently) with the idea of the multiverse and what it would be like to live in a state between life and death. Warnings for: hate crimes, more casual racism and infidelity.
I selected "strong character development" because Hilton develops A Lot in this novel but he doesn't necessarily end better than he started. I enjoyed the writing, the pacing, the tension and the sense of unreality that seeped in as Hilton's dreams steadily got worse.
10/10 would recommend if you want to have an unhealthy relationship with sleep for a hot minute.
I selected "strong character development" because Hilton develops A Lot in this novel but he doesn't necessarily end better than he started. I enjoyed the writing, the pacing, the tension and the sense of unreality that seeped in as Hilton's dreams steadily got worse.
10/10 would recommend if you want to have an unhealthy relationship with sleep for a hot minute.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Hate crime
danimacuk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual content, Stalking, Violence, Gun violence, and Grief
Minor: Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Homophobia
savvylit's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Between is a time-bending paranormal mystery that fits squarely in the category of "fever dream." Alongside Hilton, Due has her readers questioning what is real and what is a dream. Or are our dreams really just portals into alternate timelines? The eventual suggestion that you could be stalked by a murderer via your dreams is truly chilling. Additionally, the way that Due fuses Hilton and his wife's trauma-informed anxieties about racially motivated hatred with the paranormal terrors makes this already nerve-wracking book even more so.
As a whole, I really enjoyed descending into sleepless mania with Hilton as he attempted to solve the mystery of his unusual life. My only qualm with The Between was that I wanted to know more about Hilton's grandmother and how she discovered her dream abilities.
As a whole, I really enjoyed descending into sleepless mania with Hilton as he attempted to solve the mystery of his unusual life. My only qualm with The Between was that I wanted to know more about Hilton's grandmother and how she discovered her dream abilities.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Hate crime, Car accident, Gun violence, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity and Toxic relationship
florecita_lectora's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent, Infidelity, Murder, and Toxic relationship
zombiezami's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, Racial slurs, Car accident, Gaslighting, Grief, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Drug use, Child death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Chronic illness, Addiction, and Drug abuse
Minor: Bullying, Rape, Sexual violence, and Murder
jonathaneden's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Stalking, Violence, Murder, Hate crime, Racism, Racial slurs, and Infidelity
Moderate: Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Animal death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness
sdsmith80's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
<strong>What a debut!</strong>
I read this book for a bookclub I'm in (shout-out to the Ghoulish Discord bookclub!) and I'm very pleased with the pick! It is truly very well written, and it's really hard to believe that this was her debut novel. The characterizations were excellent, and it was easy to slip into Hilton's head as he felt like he was losing his sanity.
By the end I very much cared about each person, and dreaded the conclusion. Even though there were plenty of clues leading up to the final moments, and I had a good idea of what was going to happen, it didn't lessen the emotional impact when it came.
There is a reason Tananarive Due is so well regarded, and this book illustrates it clearly.
I read this book for a bookclub I'm in (shout-out to the Ghoulish Discord bookclub!) and I'm very pleased with the pick! It is truly very well written, and it's really hard to believe that this was her debut novel. The characterizations were excellent, and it was easy to slip into Hilton's head as he felt like he was losing his sanity.
By the end I very much cared about each person, and dreaded the conclusion. Even though there were plenty of clues leading up to the final moments, and I had a good idea of what was going to happen, it didn't lessen the emotional impact when it came.
There is a reason Tananarive Due is so well regarded, and this book illustrates it clearly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, Death, Gore, Blood, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Infidelity
Moderate: Car accident, Sexual content, and Mental illness
Minor: Grief, Gun violence, and Homophobia
booktribe's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
When Hilton was just a child, his grandmother sacrificed herself to save his life, but was he meant to survive? 30 years later, his wife starts receiving racist death threats directed at their whole family, including their two children. Dealing with that and terrifying nightmares, can Hilton hold on to his sanity? And is he really supposed to be alive?
Tananarive Due is my favorite author of all time, so I was so very excited to read her debut novel! She is a phenomenal writer, so nothing she ever writes will be disappointing. However, this wasn’t my favorite novel of hers.
This novel was very slow paced. Don’t go into it expecting action. But if you expect a slow burn, more cerebral horror, this is perfect for you!
Sadly, this novel wasn’t as enjoyable as it could’ve been to me for two reasons other than the slow pace. Firstly, it was very hard for me to read all the racism in this book. There was a lot of use of racial slurs, so one of the main emotions I felt while reading was anger. It took me months to finish this book because of that. And secondly, I didn’t really care about the characters. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to them, but I also didn’t root for them. Hilton was just not a great guy and his wife, DeDe wasn’t incredibly likable either.
I still gave this three stars though because it’s physically impossible for me to not enjoy Tananarive Due’s work. She is just a terrific writer and even the work that’s not her best is still better than most horror out there. It picked up a lot for me after about 60%. The story started moving along more at that point and we started getting answers to the mysterious happenings in the book. Also, something I love about Mrs. Due’s writing is that she leaves little Easter eggs all throughout her books. So something will be alluded to in one chapter and ten chapters later, she’ll write something that’ll make you tell “That’s what that meant!”.
Overall, I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys slow paced horror and anyone who is looking for a Black woman killing it in the horror genre. I’ll never get enough of Tananarive Due’s writing!
Thank you Harper Perennial and NetGalley for this arc! All opinions are my own.
TW: racism; racial and homophobic slurs; death; animal death; rape mentioned; AIDS related death; graphic sexual content; infidelity
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Infidelity and Death
rorikae's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
In 'The Between,' Tananarive Due tells a haunting story surrounding one man's attempt to save his family from threats and the affect it has on his mind.
Hilton is living a good life with his wife and his two children until his wife suddenly begins receiving racist threats. As the only elected African American judge in their county, they suspect this is coming from one of the men she previously prosecuted but there is trouble pinning down exactly who is sending the threats. As these threats stack up, Hilton begins to have bizarre dreams that seem to merge into his reality. Seemingly tied to these threats and potentially to a near fatal accident when he was a child, Hilton begins to wonder if his dreams are caused by the stress of the threats or by a supernatural force.
Tananarive Due is so good at introducing relatable characters and then slowly turning up the horror in their lives. That is true in the first book of hers I read, 'The Good House,' and is just as true in 'The Between.' Due introduces us to Hilton as a child and then we jump into his life as an adult as we get to know his family, his job, and his day to day life. She then promptly disrupts this normalcy with the racist threats that Hilton's wife receives and his mental state as he tries to protect his family. As his dreams begin to escalate, Due keeps the reader guessing right alongside Hilton, wondering if he is having a psychic break or if there is something supernatural to his increasingly frightening dreams. Due weaves in grander themes just as we are pulled into the specificity of Hilton's experience.
I'm a bit conflicted about the ending but I do think it would be a good book to discuss as part of a book club. I think the ending fits even if it isn't the ending that I would have hoped for.
Whenever I am looking for a book that will bring horror right alongside an engaging story and relatable characters, I will definitely be turning to more of Due's work.
Hilton is living a good life with his wife and his two children until his wife suddenly begins receiving racist threats. As the only elected African American judge in their county, they suspect this is coming from one of the men she previously prosecuted but there is trouble pinning down exactly who is sending the threats. As these threats stack up, Hilton begins to have bizarre dreams that seem to merge into his reality. Seemingly tied to these threats and potentially to a near fatal accident when he was a child, Hilton begins to wonder if his dreams are caused by the stress of the threats or by a supernatural force.
Tananarive Due is so good at introducing relatable characters and then slowly turning up the horror in their lives. That is true in the first book of hers I read, 'The Good House,' and is just as true in 'The Between.' Due introduces us to Hilton as a child and then we jump into his life as an adult as we get to know his family, his job, and his day to day life. She then promptly disrupts this normalcy with the racist threats that Hilton's wife receives and his mental state as he tries to protect his family. As his dreams begin to escalate, Due keeps the reader guessing right alongside Hilton, wondering if he is having a psychic break or if there is something supernatural to his increasingly frightening dreams. Due weaves in grander themes just as we are pulled into the specificity of Hilton's experience.
I'm a bit conflicted about the ending but I do think it would be a good book to discuss as part of a book club. I think the ending fits even if it isn't the ending that I would have hoped for.
Whenever I am looking for a book that will bring horror right alongside an engaging story and relatable characters, I will definitely be turning to more of Due's work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, and Violence
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, and Sexual content