My heart.

Oh my heart!

I was intrigued by this book after learning about it from The Orangutan Librarian’s mini reviews since it was pitched as a post-Narnia type of book but I did not expect The Light Between Worlds to spend its whole time breaking my heart.

We all know what happens in Narnia. The Pevensie’s return to their world, others go there, but more crucially, they are all brought back in the final book (except for Susan). The Light Between Worlds kind of ignores the later Narnia books and asks the question: what if you go back to your world, changed by all you have experienced, but then never go back?

Also, I know I’m the one who brought up Narnia but the Pevensies aren’t in the book – except for the fact that Evelyn is clearly inspired by Lucy and Phillipa is clearly inspired by Susan. The key word is inspired because I don’t think Lucy ever felt that out of home in England and I’m pretty sure Susan never felt that out of place in Narnia.

And now I have spent far too long blathering about Narnia because I wanted to make the point that though the book seems inspired by The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, it is something entirely separate. It’s a deeply poignant novel about belonging, whether family bonds can transcend your love for a place, and how experiences that bind can become the reason for chasms between people.

The Light Between Worlds starts with Evelyn, who is back in England but longs to be in the Woodlands, where she feels she belongs. Her older siblings, Jamie and Philippa both worry about her, but it’s clear that something has driven Philippa away to America. The second half of the novel focuses on Philippa and how her sense of duty and sisterly love has turned into an all-consuming guilt that she wants to let go but can never run from.

Honestly, this book just ripped out my heart and spent the whole time stomping on it. There are no “good” or “bad” characters here (except the evil kingdom in the other land) – I felt so deeply for both homesick Evelyn and dutiful, older sister Philippa. And of course, for Jamie, the brother who doesn’t get a POV but shows his worry throughout the whole book. This isn’t a fantasy of good against evil, this is a story about three siblings making their way in a world after having gone through a life-defining experience. They lived – and then they were children again and World War II was still going on.

I don’t think I can fully express how much I love this book. I really just inhaled it and it made me feel so, so much. I even love all the poetry that it quotes because all the verses were perfect for the moment and made me understand what the poets were talking about. Truly this was such a beautiful book.