Review | The Between by Tananarive Due

Hilton was a boy when his grandmother died saving him from drowning. 30 years later, he has a good job, a beautiful house and a wonderful family. But when his wife, a newly elected and only African-American county judge receives racist death threats, Hilton starts having nightmares and begins questioning his sanity.

So what the gifted old folks, the seers, often say is true: Sometimes the dead go unburied.

The Between is the type of book where some people would go “It didn’t scare me! It‘s not horror!” To which I say, yes, yes it is. Because like in this book, sometimes the horror comes from a multitude of things – a threat to your family, a racial slur, an angry parent, a losing mind. And whether they scare you or not, those things are still terrifying, especially when left unchecked.

I’d advise to be patient with this book because it’s not clear where it’s going at the start. But the payoff is worth it! It’s disturbing, filled with surrealistic scenes and complex characters; mainly people of colour. I really loved how the writing feels specific and personal, so that I felt as if I was transported into that world. The prose is beautiful, making me feel so much in so few words. My favourite kind of horror is the psychological kind, and this book brings the best to the table.

This is a story of a man haunted by his past and his dreams. Hilton is an unreliable narrator; his memories are jumbled, and he finds himself losing chunks of time. These parts are quite chilling, and he wonders if he is descending into madness. The more he loses who he is, the more he drifts away from his loved ones. I thought the portrayal of Hilton and his family is loving, painful and raw. It looks honestly at the themes of family and marriage. The book also looks at race and social justice. This book was published in 1995 yet sadly the racial issues are still as relevant today.

The Between is a stunning, horrifying exploration of guilt, life, and death that left me bereft when it’s over. I can’t recommend it enough!

About the author: Tananarive Due

Photo by Emily Goodhart