The In Between

Product Information

Even though this is a Young Adult novel, all ages are assured to relate. An impressive debut, the character development is superb with characters you care about and linger long after the book ends.

This book is wonderful. Now that I have finished, I am amazed at the author’s ability to put so much depth inside the conversations between the characters. Thought-provoking, honest conversations on how to move forward when life hasn’t dealt you a fair hand. All of this while maintaining the mystery side of the story. She meets a cancer patient in the hospital, and she tells her about "the in-between" and after-death communication (you will find yourself googling with a lot of different types). At its heart, this is a romantic novel. But there is also an implied political critique and an undercurrent of political disenchantment in Tsiolkas’ writing. He takes today’s penchant for Manichean thinking and excoriates it so thoroughly that you can’t help but contemplate the misanthropy lurking underneath. Whilst on this journey to the New Beginning, the new, brighter future is snatched away in moments. A car accident leaves Ellie with just one parent - they are certainly going to start anew, but not as planned.Using a metaphor, Katie compares her siblings and herself to different kinds of volcanoes. Explain the differences in their personalities. Explain what you believe is the best way to handle anger. When you get angry, do you resemble Josh, Haley, or Katie? This is a story of insta-love, and the timeline moves fast, with chapters alternating between the “before” and “after” in a series of countdowns. It’s a summer love of two young people. Reading it, you already know the outcome, and that makes it all the more bittersweet knowing how it will end. This work feels like a stand-alone accomplishment. It is also incredibly contemporary in its depiction of Melbourne. Not only does it encapsulate the unique feelings of post-pandemic relief, it also captures the evolving inner city and suburban landscape, as well as the texture, tenor and cadences of the changing multicultural society in this great city.

The writing is wonderfully poetic and creates a terrific atmosphere. THE IN-BETWEEN is well suited to more elaborate prose, reflecting the chaos in Ellie's head and the confusing atmosphere. It's a nice atmosphere, one that portends bad things coming, but also offers hope for Ellie. Vlahos’scompassionate,beautifully written book contains profound wisdom. It is for anyone with an open heart who loves a good story and anyone who fears but would like to better understand hospice and the end of life.” —Katy Butler, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Dying Well We know right away that she is suffering from some sort of mental illness because she tells us about her attempted suicide, and how her parents are moving so they can all have a fresh start. Before they can make it to their new home they are involved in a fatal car crash, though who dies isn't clear for some time, if ever really. At first it was her mother that died, and her father is completely unable to move forward. Was it severe depression that was affecting her, because we find out that her father was depressive as well. Worse even than when I tried to die. It's like all those other bouts of depression were just tremors, little quakes. Losing Mom is too big. The world is crashing down and all he can do is stand and watch, alone and terrified, powerless to go on living. But she's safe now. I would never hurt her, not in a million years. Not my Madeline. My stone angel. I will always be hers. She will always be mine. Forever and ever. Los personajes no acabaron de convencerme, no empaticé con el dolor de Tessa y acabó pareciéndome una historia plana, donde no encontré el vínculo entre ambos personajes y tampoco entendí para nada la actitud de Tessa con su familia y con el mundo en general.Even though this is a YA novel, the topic of love is something everyone can relate to. The joys, the pain and the memories it brings. Chapters are divided into 'before' and 'after' and this helps the reader to understand the full scope of Tessa's relationship and emotions afterwards. There are side characters such as Tessa's best friend and a patient she meets in the hospital that helps her through her pain. Different! If I had to find one word to sum up this book that is the word I would use. It is meandering, confusing and compellingly different. In an interesting but slow-paced way. Talking about death and dying is considered taboo in polite company, and even in the medical field. Our ideas about dying are confusing at best: Will our memories flash before our eyes? Regrets consume our thoughts? Does a bright light appear at the end of a tunnel? For most people, it will be a slower process, one eased with preparedness, good humor, and a bit of faith. At the forefront of changing attitudes around palliative care is hospice nurse Hadley Vlahos, who shows that end-of-life care can teach us just as much about how to live as it does about how we die. Hospice Nurse Hadley beautifully weaves the story of how she found her calling with some of her most memorable patient experiences in this unique memoir about the end of life experience.

The next chapter, Ms Sandra, has a long passage of when the author met her boyfriend's parents for the first time. The photography. I LOVED this part of the story so so much. Tessa as a photographer felt so right and her pictures were just *chef's kiss* THE IN-BETWEEN is an enjoyable middle grade mystery-fantasy combo with relatable characters and intriguing twists! ★ As I mentioned in a post the other day I have been anxiously awaiting this book. It has spoke to me since I first heard about it being published. When I opened it and the first story was about a woman named Glenda I immediately closed it. Thinking I can’t do this. Not with a woman with my own mama’s name. I even hyperventilated a little. After a bit I persevered and kept reading and kept reading until I finished the book. I have cried silently while sleeping next to my husband. I have cried in the shower. I have cried for the sadness the families have experienced but I have also cried thinking about my mama and her experience. I know she believed in heaven and having a life without the physical disabilities she experienced on earth. I have to believe those she loved who passed before her were there to welcome her. Her passing was peaceful with my dad and I holding her hand. I will always believe I was the privileged one in being with her in her last 24 hours on this earth.The world building and the supernatural setting that was embedded in Chicago was interesting. The In-Between was a really unique ghost story and will probably wind up being one of my favorite middle grade releases from this year. There aren't answers here, either, so spending time trying to find an explanation isn't worthwhile. The story is about that unknowing, that line in between the real world and the not-so-real world. Is there a distinction? Should there be one? Does it matter? Ellie and her family are moving away. They are going to make a new start and Ellie has promised to become New Ellie. Old Ellie was overweight, she was drab and she tried to take her own life. New Ellie will lose weight, be bright and funny. She will wear colourful clothes and she will do well at school. Madeline kisses me on the lips. Not like a boy. Closer. We are meant to be forever. After she met Madeline and tried to deal with the fact that her father is unable to care for her, or himself, suddenly things change, and it's not her mother who had died in the crash, but rather her father. She was suffering from head trauma. I had a hard time believing that this was "real" life because I couldn't tell what was real and wasn't anymore, or ever really.

First things first, that cool as all get out and yet ultra creepy cover! Once you get started in the book, you can see where the different elements come from and the significance of each, but before you read...it's another puzzle needing to be solved, and I was only so happy to have the chance to do just that!I'm afraid my review won't do THE IN-BETWEEN justice. Reading these true stories of these patients nearing the end of their lives, I was incredibly profound and moving on a deep level. I so loved and appreciated that the spirituality aspect played in big part in this book, evidence of how undeniable, serendipitous, mind-blowing, comforting, beautiful, and "perfect" it is. I had goosebumps the whole time. I was in awe of the nurse/author Hadley Vlahos and in awe of her hospice patients... of their strength and love. So much wisdom, beauty and love to be shared in their final moments. Out of the twelve patients Hadley writes about, there is a wide diversity in class and religious and spiritual beliefs, yet they all die in the same way - in which that they experience death. I liked how the author shares not just the day to day life of a hospice nurse but how it affects her personal life and her life prior to leading her to become a hospice nurse. The tributes to the patients and the lessons Hadley learns from them was a beautiful end to such a beautiful book. Book doesn't seem even the right word to use, because it's so much more than that. It's life. May everyone have the chance to read THE IN-BETWEEN. Tsiolkas depicts the stresses and pressures of dealing with major changes and dating later in life, but then shepherds the reader through a journey of renewal and reconciliation that makes you marvel at the possibilities afforded by newfound love. He shows us how to gently unravel life’s previous entanglements and allow the cords of a new partnership to coalesce. A visit to her nearest theatre changes her life forever; a blonde stranger translates the French film for her but disappears afterwards. Unable to forget this guy, a chance encounter causes their paths to cross again. Tessa and Skylar's worlds revolve around each other, they have the perfect Summer love until a tragic event happens. Tessa has been shuffled around foster homes her entire life, never feeling like she was enough after her mother abandoned her, feeling as if she doesn’t deserve anyones love. I don’t see many young adult novels dealing with foster homes and foster parents/relationships, so that was a nice change of pace. There is a dinner party scene in The In-Between that is so monstrously awkward and gloriously well-observed, it could be a one-act play – a study in the quiet tyranny of consensus. It’s the kind of veiled cruelty that would make Edward Albee whoop. A night of empty shibboleths and awful(ly) good intentions. Here is Tsiolkas the watcher: sharp-eyed and peerless. The fly on our wall.