Barbara Stewart: "The In-Between"

Title: The In-Between  [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: None
Author: Barbara Stewart [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Contemporary with a Twist
Year: 2013
Age: 14+
Stars: 4/5
Pros: Original premise. Ambiguous and poignant story, with a surprising early twist and a subsequent, creepy crescendo.
Cons: Gloomy atmosphere. Flawed main character.
WARNING! Attempted suicide, self-harm, death of a parent, depression, fat-shaming, some ableism.
Will appeal to: Those who like eerie stories and unreliable narrators.

Blurb: Fourteen-year-old Elanor Moss has always been an outcast who fails at everything she tries - she's even got the fine, white scars to prove it. Moving was supposed to be a chance at a fresh start. But, when a terrible car accident changes her life forever, her near-death experience opens a door to a world inhabited by Madeline Torus. She is exactly what Elanor has always wanted in a best friend and more. But Madeline is not like other girls, and Elanor has to keep her new friend a secret or risk being labeled "crazy." Soon, though, even Elanor starts to doubt her own sanity. Madeline is her entire life, and that life is drastically spinning out of control. (Amazon excerpt)

Review: A couple of random thoughts before I start...1) despite the protagonist's age (she's 14) and the lack of sex, this book is definitely dark enough to be shelved as "upper YA"; 2) there's an instance of "it's" instead of "its" in Ch.38. Just saying. *sighs*

TWIST 'N' SPIN

This is a difficult book to review without giving away the early twist and the final denouement...that is...the thing that's been building up for the whole time, and yet makes you do a double take in the end, because you hadn't thought that far ahead - or you simply weren't sure to what extent the concept of "unreliable narrator" applied to Elanor "Ellie" Moss. So I'll try to keep my review short (yeah, good luck with that 😜) and sweet. Ellie is a damaged character with a suicide attempt in her past, a weak father, a strong mother, and an ex-best friend who betrayed her (or was never a real friend to begin with). Her story walks a fine line between mental trouble and magical realism, under the guise of a supposed haunting, but not only (I can't be more specific because SPOILERS, but the "situation" I'm NOT mentioning has everything to do with the early twist, which I think was genius BTW). What I can say is, TIB plays with a few familiar themes/premises and manages to spin a fresh tale out of them. The "mental vs. paranormal" trope may feel overused at this point (and even predatory or detrimental in some cases), but this story elevates it to the next level. Also because (and this is NOT a spoiler) Ellie's mental issues pre-date both the first and the second twist, and the ending leaves the door open for an interpretation that doesn't rely on the main character's mental health (actually, that's the one I personally endorse). [...]

SOME HARM DONE

Ellie is also a (self)-deprecating character - and in a book like this, where she lives so much in her own head, there's no one to counterbalance that. So brace yourself for a few instances of the adjective "fat" (that she doesn't just apply to herself), plus a couple of "spaz" and "retard". Here's the thing though - I think the author was going for the most honest depiction of a flawed and broken early teen, and if it was the case, she succeeded. Especially when it comes to Ellie's relationship with Autumn, the friend she pushes away (sometimes plain cruelly) because she's even more of a reject than Ellie is. Here's the thing - some of Ellie's actions can be chalked up to a supposed paranormal influence, but some, I'm pretty sure, she's directly responsible for. We're in her head while she says and does such things, so I suppose we can hold her accountable for them - while other things she doesn't remember doing, which makes for a totally different case to me. (But you might still think of an alternative explanation of course...).

COLLATERAL BEAUTY

So, apparently, as much as most incidents/plot points in this book can't be discussed lest I incur in spoilers, I can't seem to keep this review as short and sweet as I hoped I would. Albeit I can't talk about Ellie's home life, I have to tell you that it's a huge part of the story, and the book perfectly captures the feeling of a broken family whose only remaining parent does their best even if it's never enough and there are other problems on top of it...a damaged daughter included. And of course I can't talk about Madeline, the alleged best friend - but rest assured that even when you think you have her pinned down, you're in for a further twist. The school crush and friends (or are they?) feel a bit underdeveloped, but as I said before, Ellie mostly lives in her own head, so this story is NOT about them, but (mostly) about the way she perceives/relates to them - or fails to. In short - if you like atmospheric writing, broken girls (with hurting, imperfect parents who do their best nonetheless) and ambiguous/ambitious stories that creep up on you, give this one a try. I'm sure you won't regret it, if anything for its ultimate, original twist.

For more Contemporary/Contemporary with a Twist books click here.