Originally written in July, 2018.
About a month ago I got accepted to a galley of The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth on Edelweiss. I went into it with an adoration for the cover and considerable hope that the book lived up to what I'd read about it. Keywords like woodlands, stags, what happens after the story is presumably told are some of what lured me inn. If I for a moment didn't think this book would deliver, my inclination towards melancholia surely overcame that thought, as well as the parallels to one of my favorite, childhood chronicles. It's easy to say that Light exist on a line with The Chronicles of Narnia. Ultimately the story presents a scenario for what could have happened between the novellas as well as after, something I for one have found myself wondering about more than once. Nonetheless, it's its own book and should be read without this kind of tags. Do yourself a kindness, love the characters for who they are and not what you may want them to be. The Light Between Worlds is an adumbral story about lost girls finding their way home.
TheStoryGraph Synopsis: Six years ago, sisters Evelyn and Philippa Hapwell were swept away to a strange and beautiful kingdom called the Woodlands, where they lived for years. But ever since they returned to their lives in post-WWII England, they have struggled to adjust. Ev desperately wants to return to the Woodlands, and Philippa just wants to move on. When Ev goes missing, Philippa must confront the depth of her sister's despair and the painful truths they've been running from. As the weeks unfold, Philippa wonders if Ev truly did find a way home, or if the weight of their worlds pulled her under. Walking the line between where fantasy and reality meet, this lyrical and magical novel is, above all else, an exploration of loss and healing, and what it means to find where you belong.
Loss, belonging and hope are some of the themes the novel is touching, and it gives a voice to mental health issues like depression and self-harm ━ a voice that is been told to arise from Weymouth's own experiences. The writing style is beautiful and lush. It's hard not to bathe in the bittersweet of it all, to not want to dwell in between the despair and hope that fill the pages. It's highly atmospheric and anyone who loves cloudy skies, rain, forests, or museums will find a home in it. Both main characters hit a string with me. Evelyn, for being unable to let go or being stubborn enough to not let reality limit her hopes. Philippa, for moving on and standing strong for the ones she loves, as well as herself after a hard time. It's a story that's haunted me since I read it, and I'm sure it won't let go just yet.
The incorporation of poetry and paintings added another layer. The Lady of Shalott, for example. Literature often reflects universal longings, and how it's used made me feel through the characters that there's a reason we share our depths through creativity - we all want to belong somewhere or to someone, and that was a struggle for both our main characters, especially Evelyn. This as an element in the book gave it profound depth.
That being said, I relished the book. I found that the alternate chapters between the present 1949 and the Woodlands, 1944, gave a slow but steady phase to the story which I enjoyed. The more you read, the further you got dragged into their lives and gained feelings for the characters. Mostly, the book is carried by Evelyn’s point of view, but as the story begs to change, we're taken to the end through Philippa’s. It has pieces of romance, but it does in no way overtake the story.
I would absolutely recommend you get yourself a copy when it releases in October. Especially if you enjoy the somber kind of books.
Trigger warnings from the author's site: The Light Between Worlds portrays characters dealing with depression, self-harm, post-traumatic stress disorder, illness, disordered eating, and the loss of a loved one. It refers to a possible suicide, contains scenes of violence and war, and brief mentions may be unsettling to readers with emetophobia.
Rating: 4\5
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