The Time Between by Karen White

 

 

Pianos, beaches, mansions, guilt, accidents, decisions, grief, love, secrets and children who didn't know each other as children but knew each other now as adults.

Eleanor was the cause of her sister's paralyzing accident when they were children, and her mother never let her forget it.  Eleanor was made to work and take care of her sister Eve.  Eleanor seemed to be at the beck and call of every family member and did not think of herself or think of her own happiness.  Eve seemed to enjoy how uncomfortable she always made her sister feel and how she could still make her feel guilty about the accident. Their mother wasn't any nicer to Eleanor and seemed to expect Eleanor to pay for what she did to her sister.  

One day Eleanor's boss, Finn, had a proposition that would allow Eleanor to return to Edisto Island where she and her family had always spent their vacations. Would this be good for Eleanor or would it bring back too many sad memories of her father? Would it relieve some of Eleanor's guilt?  She had to give it a try.  Something had to help her heal and forgive herself and to gain her sister's forgiveness.  The piano she saw in Helena's house cinched her decision about accepting the job.  Playing the piano was Eleanor's passion.   

When Eleanor arrived on Edisto Island, she met Aunt Helena and Genevieve.  They both were likable characters even though Helena tried to rattle Eleanor at first, but that kept Eleanor going.  Genevieve was an adorable girl who loved pink.  The characters were authentic and genuine. The descriptions of the characters' every move and thoughts were marvelous.

THE TIME  BETWEEN is a heartwarming, redeeming, cozy read with exceptional writing that sets the mood for the book's theme.  I could feel myself become a part of the feelings of each character whether it was a sense of belonging or rejection.  When Eleanor interacted with Helena,  you could feel the warmth between them growing not only as caregiver and the one being cared for but as kindred souls searching for something, and in Helena's case hiding something.  Each character kept you guessing about his/her motives, their reason for acting the way they did, and what they actually were looking for in their relationships with each other.

Through Ms. White's skillful writing style you could tell her characters were obscure but sincere in their feelings for each other and that something was being hidden and being held back by each of them.  The book's chapters were titled with each character's name, and that character's voice spoke for that specific section.  

The book had an effortless flow and a very appealing storyline.  It addressed human feelings, choices, and healing.  The ending was painful but uplifting as well as fascinating because of the added bonus of information about WWII.

It was an enjoyable but thought-provoking book that will have you sitting back and definitely thinking about "the time between" that was explained on Page 319 as: 

"There is how we were before, and how we are now, and the time between is spent choosing which doors to open, and which to close."   

This book was absolutely wonderful.  I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the lessons learned, and the book's comfortable pace.  5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.