A review by catrev
The Moment Between by Nicole Baart

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.