The Between: A Novel

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.

Very good but haunting story about a man, Hilton James who has experienced a near death drowning as a child; he is saved by his Grandmother who perishes. Hilton manages to build a successful life and has a loving family but experienced horrible nightmares and still can't quite shake the feeling that he is living on borrowed time. After his wife begins to receive racist hate mail and experiencing another 'near miss', Hilton's nightmares return as he seemingly begins to descend into madness.As a reader I was fascinated by this story as I tried to pinpoint whether Hilton was (a) drowning as his wishful life flashed before his eyes; (b) truly going mad; (c) dying as a result of the second near miss incident and again having his life flash before his eyes. A huge clue (for me) about the inevitable ending was during Hilton's visit with his Aunt & Uncle as they recounted his near drowning.The flow of the book is excellent with descriptive details about Hilton, his family, co-workers, clients & therapist that drew me into the story almost instantly. It was also really helpful that his dream sequences are broken up into their own chapters and italicized. The book was also a quick read and compelling enough that I never 'lost' the storyline if I wasn't able to read it every day.I'm so glad that I discovered this author but almost missed out - I'm still somewhat of a newbie to this genre after having discovered the L.A. Banks series about a year ago. Tananrive Due's books appeared on the Amazon suggestions list and I was intrigued enough by the synopsis of this book to give it a try; needless to say I have since purchased as many of Ms. Due's books as I could find and can't wait to read them all.

If you like horror that makes you want to take a break from reading because the book is weirding you out, this is your read. The story follows a family man as he begins to experience nightmares. A thing he thought he had overcome years ago. As the nightmares begin to echo in his waking life, things begin a frightening spiral. At the same time, a new threat emerges in the form of a stalker threatening the entire family. The writing is tight, the story moves smoothly, and the characters are well-drawn. Enjoy Stephen King and Dean Koontz, you'll likely find you will enjoy this too.

I am kicking myself for not having read Tananarive Due prior to this month. I think this was the perfect choice for the Ladies of Horror Fiction community read-along not only because it's a great story and I think it will please a wide variety of readers, but because maybe some readers like me have been introduced to Due's work. Note: This book calls out to be read over a short period of time...it is a page-turner.SO - this is a DEBUT novel. WHAT?!? The level of craft in writing, world-building, and so much more, is astronomical. And this is NOT an "easy" plot - there are storylines and threads all over the place. I found myself wondering how all of this could possibly come to a fitting (and realistic) end. Silly me. I needn't have worried. If you are picking this up for the first time, be prepared for "wait, what's happening" but have faith that all will culminate in an ending that makes you sit back and go...whoa. I even returned to the preface of the novel and found little bread crumbs leading me through this forest of a novel and out to the other side.There is so much more I could add. This book grabbed at all sorts of my emotions - fear, apprehension, humor, sadness (there were tears, people), and I loved it. The horror elements shine through and those dream sequences are truly creepy. I plan to make my way through Due's entire backlist, starting with The Good House and the start of the African Immortals series, My Soul to Keep. With The Between as her debut, I eagerly anticipate seeing how her writing evolves from here.

What a ride-along with the main character! Gripping. Intense. Hopeful.Plan to finish this book in 1 or 2 days, whenever you have free time IN BETWEEN. It is a page-turner like none I’ve experienced before!Carve some time for yourself and enjoy the ride.

Loved this book - though I must admit to being spooked by it as well. I'm a big fan of Due's African Immortals series and wanted to check out her earlier work. The Between is Due's first novel, and what a promising beginning for her later, well-deserved, success. She shows a deft touch at weaving horror with everyday life, building strong characters that appear to come apart as the suspense builds, but who continue to evolve as the story advances. I'm a scifi and spec fiction fan, generally avoid horror because its scary (I know, lame, but true), but I was enthralled by this story. Due also is unflinching in setting her story in the midst of racial realities in America, without the story becoming "about" race. No simple profiling, either, with beauty and warts shared by all of the characters regardless of race or gender. She has a voice I will continue to want to hear!

(WARNING: This review contains minor spoilers.)This one wasn’t even remotely on my radar before it was brought to my attention by Mike Thorn, author of Darkest Hours. I decided to pick a random suggested novel, as generally my favourites are books other people have told me to read. That’s the great thing about the community; you never know what you’ll end up with. I found Due’s eerily crafted story to be rather complex, and in all honestly, it was that complexity that intrigued me even further. This wasn’t a typical ghost story, but a breach in one person’s reality. It was emotional, and I oftentimes experienced discomfort in how much Due toyed with the mental states of her characters; their lives truly took a traumatising turn and that downward spiral was dammed scary. I was shocked to find how much I wanted things to work out for the James family, and as events escalated that pesky sense of dread never did subside. You see, when an author can humanise their characters enough for me to regard them like actual living, breathing people, then that’s where my ultimate attachment lies. Much like a family unit they tried desperately to overcome the unexpected, and we all know what that’s like, even if our daily problems aren’t supernatural in origin.I do have to admit that I found it to have a rocky beginning. Hilton didn’t really leave me with a good first impression, what with secretly lusting after one of his former patients and then complaining about his very busy and stressed out wife. Despite these unappealing actions however, I eventually warmed to him and felt sympathy toward his plight. He had his obvious flaws and whilst some of his mistakes actually disgusted me, I couldn’t help but acknowledge his struggle. The further I progressed into the chapters, the more his life went to ruin – it was akin to watching a trainwreck. Do you ever feel the need to put down a book because it just got too heavy for you? Well, there were moments throughout where I needed a respite. This being my very first encounter with Due’s writing, I was thrilled at how captivating her use of prose was. I think, overall, I prefer a less straight-forward structure, and more of an artfully constructed one. Here, it highly benefited the tone of the book.The plot did well in making me question the legitimacy of Hilton’s bizarre experiences. At times it was left open enough to theorise on if he was actually mentally ill and suffering from some form of schizophrenia, or if he truly was being hunted by reflections of himself. The added aspect of African spirituality also interested me a great deal; I’m always in search of fiction that will prompt me to do research on beliefs I wouldn’t otherwise be aware of. As I’ve already mentioned, the complexity came in the form of certain elements being intentionally vague and left open to interpretation. The dreams, the occurrences that seemed to erase themselves, they all hinted that something very thought provoking was at play.In conclusion: A heart-wrenching story of one family and the otherworldly forces trying to tear them apart. I found the story-telling to be engaging, endearing, and successful in making my mind whirl. It was however draining at times, to the point I needed time to recover. I definitely want more of Due’s works on my shelf though, and here’s hoping they’re just as emotionally charged.Notable Scene:Even with the humidity in the little house and the steam from pots boiling over on top of the stove, their lids bouncing like angry demons, Nana’s flesh felt as cold as just-drawn well water. As cold as December. He’d never touched a person who felt that way, and even as a child he knew only dead people turned cold like that.© Red Lace 2018

“Hilton was seven when his grandmother died, and it was a bad time.But it was worse when she died again”It took a minute, but this one really grew on me. I picked up the book based on its premise: young Hilton is saved from drowning by his grandmother, who sadly, gives her life to do so. But ever since then, Hilton is plagued with a feeling that he wasn’t supposed to have survived, and now strange forces seem to be attempting to right that wrong – Hilton becomes afraid to sleep, because he keeps having nightmares of something chasing him through doorways…While the book starts off with plenty of horror and mystery around Hilton’s grandmother’s death, it gradually slips into more mundane territory, as we move on to Hilton’s adult life, delving into his unsteady marriage, demanding job, and the challenges of parenting – rather disappointing for someone who was expecting a riveting horror story.However, once I figured out the real meaning behind Hilton’s dreams, the plot became far more gripping (hint: when Hilton sleeps, he isn’t really sleeping…). From here, what I initially thought to be an ordinary story with touches of horror here and there transformed into a truly sophisticated tale that seamlessly blended horror and the fantastical with the real world.