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A review by arockinsamsara
The Between by Tananarive Due
5.0
What a slow burn, that pulls you deeper with every page. Tananarive Due’s spectacular novel is classified as horror, and in her preface to this edition, published 26 years after the original publication, she mentions how, at the time she wrote it, the books that combined Black protagonists and the supernatural were few and far between. With that as the primer going in, accompanied by the synopsis of the book, you can’t be blamed for expecting to confront the supernatural elements of the story sooner. In truth, it isn’t until the third or fourth chapter that Due really gives us a taste, and even then it is in the form of a dream. This is because what Due is doing, here, is setting a trap. This novel is painstakingly naturalistic, in many ways, not fantastical or unbelievable at all. Slowly, the liminal space between life and death, between dream and reality, grows and grows, invading everything, until you find yourself lost in a tense supernatural horror that begs questions about trauma, racism, class, and mental illness but refuses to give any easy answers.
All of the characters feel real, not stereotypes, not fill-ins, but living people who you know. All of the main characters that stay within the protagonist’s orbit are given interesting characterizations and lives, with flaws accompanying positive character traits. There is one character who feels a little “deus-ex-machina”-y, but even that is handled well enough that it avoids the grosser sins of the horror genre and doesn’t entirely beggar belief. These characters really drive the story, which is quite deliberately plotted, building in intensity as the fractures in our sense of reality grow. The writing itself is wonderful, again a very naturalistic style, giving us enough description to really see the scenes clearly but not overdosing on sentimentality or feeling forced or rigid in any way. Due is able to expertly build suspense, and the way she weaves a supernatural story within this naturalistic form is really impressive. In some ways it is just this, the way a supernatural horror exists for one person in what everyone else perceives as naturalistic, or mundane, that is the heart of the narrative. The writing parallels this idea beautifully, and the whole story is stronger for it.
This book is a quick read, in large part because you won’t want to put it down. It does start slow, but it is never boring. It is only “slow” in the sense that it isn’t overloaded with explicit supernatural occurrences, not that there isn’t important story and character work being done, so if you’re willing to really take your time finding your way into this family, and into the heart of the patriarch doing his best to keep them safe while struggling with a family/work balance, you won’t be disappointed. As do most great books, it leaves you with a lot to think about, ending with questions instead of answers. It is a really skillful and enjoyable book, and you will be richer for the time you spend with it.
I want to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers, who gave me a complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest review.
All of the characters feel real, not stereotypes, not fill-ins, but living people who you know. All of the main characters that stay within the protagonist’s orbit are given interesting characterizations and lives, with flaws accompanying positive character traits. There is one character who feels a little “deus-ex-machina”-y, but even that is handled well enough that it avoids the grosser sins of the horror genre and doesn’t entirely beggar belief. These characters really drive the story, which is quite deliberately plotted, building in intensity as the fractures in our sense of reality grow. The writing itself is wonderful, again a very naturalistic style, giving us enough description to really see the scenes clearly but not overdosing on sentimentality or feeling forced or rigid in any way. Due is able to expertly build suspense, and the way she weaves a supernatural story within this naturalistic form is really impressive. In some ways it is just this, the way a supernatural horror exists for one person in what everyone else perceives as naturalistic, or mundane, that is the heart of the narrative. The writing parallels this idea beautifully, and the whole story is stronger for it.
This book is a quick read, in large part because you won’t want to put it down. It does start slow, but it is never boring. It is only “slow” in the sense that it isn’t overloaded with explicit supernatural occurrences, not that there isn’t important story and character work being done, so if you’re willing to really take your time finding your way into this family, and into the heart of the patriarch doing his best to keep them safe while struggling with a family/work balance, you won’t be disappointed. As do most great books, it leaves you with a lot to think about, ending with questions instead of answers. It is a really skillful and enjoyable book, and you will be richer for the time you spend with it.
I want to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers, who gave me a complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest review.