Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - The Between

<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.

Content Warnings

spcandybars's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad 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

This book was such a fantastically written exploration of the tie between dreams and consciousness. The tension is palpable as Hilton’s life appears to branch off just to be yanked back into place again and I felt so engaged with his childhood and grandmother. In the last third, things began picking up as Hilton got new insights and I honestly think it was the perfect time to pick up the pace. The end is devastating but cathartic in a way that could only be achieved with a very limited set of options.

The first third of the book contains very graphic sexual content including a depiction of explicit infidelity but it’s very distinct when the narrative departs from that highly sexualized place as it’s one of the first confirmations we have to begin understanding how Hilton’s perceptions of reality are slipping.

Content Warnings

lilias's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Content Warnings

oinkoink's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Eerie, unsettling, disturbing. Major racism TW. You really get a close-and-personal ride along inside the mind of a man becoming undone. Had me questioning what was supernatural vs. clinical all the way to the end, which I both did and didn't like.

given that there were in fact supernatural elements at play, it would've been nice to have a bit more depth/lore/exploration in that department.

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rorikae's review against another edition

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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.

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