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It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill - published 22nd May by Bedford Square publishers - courtesy of Random Things Tours.
About the Author
Edward Underhill grew up in the suburbs of Wisconsin, where he could not walk to anything, so he had to make up his own adventures. He studied music in college, spent several years living in very small apartments in New York, and currently resides in California with his partner and a talkative black cat.
He is the author of the young adult novels Always the Almost and This Day Changes Everything. The In-Between Bookstore is his first book for adults.
About the book
If you had one chance to talk to your younger self… would you? What would you say?
A healing novel about a trans man in New York who - almost 30, laid off, broke - moves back to his small Illinois hometown. Darby left Oak Falls, Illinois years ago, hoping to find a community and to leave behind the memory of his childhood best friend, Michael, and the painful way their friendship ended.
He walks into the bookstore he worked at in high school and feels an eerie sense of déjà vu – everything is exactly the same. Even the newspapers are dated 2009. And behind the till is a teen who looks a lot like Darby did at sixteen... a teen who just might give him the opportunity to change his own present for the better – if he can figure out how before his connection to the past vanishes forever.
Review
Always an interesting concept - the question of whether someone would choose to return to their past, their younger self or a specific moment in time, in order to change something that could possibly alter the trajectory of their already trodden path.
In this case the glitch in time is only accessed via a bookstore that holds core memories for the main character, but the glitch isn't always accessible, which in turn generates a certain amount of doubt. Is it merely self-doubt creating a scenario that would erase uncomfortable memories or is this something more monumental.
Darby the 30-year-old encounters teenage Darby in a strange glitch of magical realism, more importantly the pre-transition version of themselves that has yet to embark on the journey towards understanding self and identity. It's a very important period of time that changes relationships, bonds, and decisions going forward.
What is communicated ten-fold is the magnitude and almost worm-like presence of a sense of 'not quite right' buried deep in the psyche and the physical body, that takes over every element of thought and interaction. It explains why older Darby wants to help younger Darby find their path and in doing so spare them some confusion and pain. One could of course throw in the Butterfly Effect and consequences of changes, just to generate a little grey cell action and raise philosophical, perhaps even moral questions.
This is the first venture away from YA and into adult fiction for the author, and although it's a interesting read I don't think we've quite managed to shake the general vibe of the young adult sub-genre. Ironically, given the story and plot, I would define it as a bridge building exercise in transition. I also think the In-Betweenness of it all serves a far greater purpose, which readers will find intriguing.
I enjoyed the concept and the story.
Buy The In-Between Bookstore at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Bedford Square; pub date 22nd May| Paperback| £9.99. Buy at Amazon com.
