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A review by hickorynut
The Edge of in Between by Lorelei Savaryn
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This was a beautiful middle grade magical realism adaptation of The Secret Garden. Lottie lives in a world where magic and color are rooted in one's happiness. After she loses her parents, she also loses her magic and color, and fades into a gray girl. She is brought to stay with her uncle in the In Between, the place between living and death. She finds a secret garden, her cousin, and a ghost boy, all who work together to restore color, hope, and love to their world.
As someone stuck in a shroud of grief myself, this was beautifully written and held space for all emotions. Some of the quotes that spoke to me:
"These were tears that came from knowing the fullness and depth of what she had lost, and then realizing that there may be a bit of sun left to peek out from the dark, heavy clouds in her heart. Grief and hope, side by side, mixed all together."
"Often, when grief is fresh it isn't helpful to tell people that they'll heal, or at least have the chance to, somewhere along the way. You don't want anyone to feel like they need to hide how much they've lost, or bounce back by a certain time. At some point, though, you hope they'll be ready to start down that road. Sorrow, or despair at what we've lost, will still hang around, sometimes more, sometimes less, but we don't need to fear it. In time, we can find room once more for joy, and laughter, and peace. Un-fading isn't a fast process, and it isn't a straight line."
"She had taken strange comfort in the fact that a person's hopes couldn't be crushed if they didn't have any hopes to start with. Their heart couldn't break again and again if they never picked its pieces up off the floor."
"Her sorrow had meaning because it meant she was human. That she had loved and that she had lost. Her sorrow was part of her now, though it wouldn't always be the biggest part. It would fit into different-sized places over time, leaving space for things like hope, and laughter, and magic to settle back in and have room to breathe. Her sorrow had helped her to learn how much she was willing to fight to keep her magic, beautiful and good like it was meant to be, no matter how many times in her life she had to work to heal."
As someone stuck in a shroud of grief myself, this was beautifully written and held space for all emotions. Some of the quotes that spoke to me:
"These were tears that came from knowing the fullness and depth of what she had lost, and then realizing that there may be a bit of sun left to peek out from the dark, heavy clouds in her heart. Grief and hope, side by side, mixed all together."
"Often, when grief is fresh it isn't helpful to tell people that they'll heal, or at least have the chance to, somewhere along the way. You don't want anyone to feel like they need to hide how much they've lost, or bounce back by a certain time. At some point, though, you hope they'll be ready to start down that road. Sorrow, or despair at what we've lost, will still hang around, sometimes more, sometimes less, but we don't need to fear it. In time, we can find room once more for joy, and laughter, and peace. Un-fading isn't a fast process, and it isn't a straight line."
"She had taken strange comfort in the fact that a person's hopes couldn't be crushed if they didn't have any hopes to start with. Their heart couldn't break again and again if they never picked its pieces up off the floor."
"Her sorrow had meaning because it meant she was human. That she had loved and that she had lost. Her sorrow was part of her now, though it wouldn't always be the biggest part. It would fit into different-sized places over time, leaving space for things like hope, and laughter, and magic to settle back in and have room to breathe. Her sorrow had helped her to learn how much she was willing to fight to keep her magic, beautiful and good like it was meant to be, no matter how many times in her life she had to work to heal."