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The Light Between Worlds
From the Kitchen of: Laura E. Weymouth Cooking Directions:
Five years ago, Evelyn and Philippa Hapwell cowered from air strikes in a London bomb shelter. But that night took a turn when the sisters were transported to another realm called the Woodlands. In a forest kingdom populated by creatures out of myth and legend, they found temporary refuge.
When they finally returned to London, nothing had changed at all—nothing, except themselves.
Now, Ev spends her days sneaking into the woods outside her boarding school, wishing for the Woodlands. Overcome with longing, she is desperate to return no matter what it takes.
Philippa, on the other hand, is determined to find a place in this world. She shields herself behind a flawless exterior and countless friends, and moves to America to escape the memory of what was.
But when Evelyn 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.
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My Review of ‘The Light Between Worlds’
What I Liked
- A poignantly written narrative full of pure, raw emotion.
- Weymouth really knows how to make her characters feel real. What’s more, she knows how to make her readers care about them. Philippa and Evie were both flawed and broken, and yet they were still immensely likeable. You couldn’t help but root for them and want them to find happiness.
- I love the whole concept of this story! I’ve often wondered how Chosen Ones cope when the adventure ends. When they have to return to their own mundane lives and magic-less worlds. Weymouth executes this idea in a deftly realistic and hauntingly beautiful way.
- This is not merely a story about the Chosen Ones trope or about visiting a Narnia-eque world, it is about finding your place. It is about the hope and the healing that comes after you’ve broken your soul into more pieces than can be put back together. The Depression Rep in this book is real and it doesn’t shy away form the dark parts of mental illness.
What I Liked Less
- The Light Between Worlds is a heavy book that tackles heavy topics. Through Philippa and Evie’s bittersweet story, Weymouth strives to capture the full spectrum of emotions that accompanies depression. Full of intense emotions, this novel is a trigger minefield for anybody who might have once or is currently dealing with depression or thoughts of suicide. However, I think the author approaches this topic respectfully and does not use it as a hasty plot point.
The Final Verdict
The Light Between Worlds by Laura Weymouth is a hauntingly beautiful tale full of lyrical writing and melancholy magic that spotlights both the deep depressions and high hopes of life.
Have you read A Light Between Worlds? What did you think?
Do you know of any other books with good Depression representation?
3 Comments
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I struggled with this one because the allusions to Narnia are a bit overwhelming. The strongest parts of the book are what come after, and not the one-to-one correspondences. Really ,I think Weymouth should have just created a magical world that doesn’t mirror Narnia at all because it’s too distracting.
Catherynne M. Valente explores the idea of what it means to be kicked out of Fairyland back into the normal world in her Fairyland series and it’s far more effective, I think, because her world is original and not a C. S. Lewis imitation.
I was debating reading this one but hesitated a little because it seemed like it might be too similar to something like the Narnia books. I’ve been considering reading both books by this author for a while, and your review does make me think I might end up enjoying this one, so thank you for your review!
I really liked this book too! And I really loved the portions that felt like Narnia! It is definitely one you have to be in the right headspace for, I think.