The Words Between Us by Erin Bartels

 

The Words Between Us

Here’s a bookish novel I borrowed electronically from the library. What a great cover!

Let’s begin with the summary:

Robin Windsor has spent most of her life under an assumed name, running from her family's ignominious past. She thought she'd finally found sanctuary in her rather unremarkable used bookstore just up the street from the marina in River City, Michigan. But the store is struggling and the past is hot on her heels.

When she receives an eerily familiar book in the mail on the morning of her father's scheduled execution, Robin is thrown back to the long-lost summer she met Peter Flynt, the perfect boy who ruined everything. That book—a first edition Catcher in the Rye—is soon followed by the other books she shared with Peter nearly twenty years ago, with one arriving in the mail each day. But why would Peter be making contact after all these years? And why does she have a sinking feeling that she's about to be exposed all over again?

With evocative prose that recalls the classic novels we love, Erin Bartels pens a story that shows that words—the ones we say, the ones we read, and the ones we write—have more power than we imagine.

And now, my review:

I loved the setting of this book: both Michigan and a bookstore. I was sympathetic to the heroine right away. Her need for sanctuary made me care for her. I wanted her privacy protected, and I was glad she had supportive friends surrounding her as secondary characters.

First person is one of my favorite narrative styles, and this author’s descriptions, prose, and personifications kept the writing interesting. I loved the talking parrot, so much like my Pearl. I loved the connection to Peter and watching their relationship develop through flashbacks. It was enjoyable watching him reach out in a bookish way in the present.

The heroine’s preoccupation with death and the lack of hope early in the story weren’t a good match for me in this season. The novel didn't serve as an escape as the story was a bit heavy, so I only finished to 17 percent. I think I might enjoy it when life is calmer. I may pick it up again later. I wish the author and publisher all the best.