I was really looking forward to reading this book.  The concept sounded interesting and I also thought it might be funny as well.  Overall, I was disappointed.  I think the characters could have been better developed and more relatable.  I do think there are important issues that the book was trying to address, such as aging and grief and how that is handled at different ages.  I feel the book failed at really working through everything that was there.  It also bothered me that dialogue was shown in italics instead of quotation marks.  For some reason, it made it difficult to follow.  That combined with the three different narrators and then the passages with reflections by the narrators of times past, made it seem choppy to me.  The ending also felt abrupt and unfinished.  On the positive side, it was a quick read and certain passages were humorous.  The book did make me spend some time thinking about how different people handle grief and aging.  

When the written word moves you to tears, I think that is the sign of a superb book.  The Time Between made me both laugh and cry.  This novel is set in present day Charleston and Edisto Island, and also involves Hungary during World War II.  We explore the lives of three Hungarian sisters Helena, Bernadett and Magda and the journeys their lives have taken from World War II to today.  We also get to meet two sisters who grew up on Edisto Island, Eleanor and Eve, and have seen their own share of tragedy.  Eleanor’s boss, Mr. Beaufain, hires her to serve as a companion for his elderly aunt Helena and Eleanor jumps at the opportunity to escape domestic issues of her own as well as revisit her childhood home Edisto Island.  The relationship that develops between Eleanor and Helena is at the center of this book.  Helena’s life isn’t quite what it seems and Eleanor is determined to find out more.  Karen White is one of my very favorite authors and The Time Between is one of her best novels.  This book would also make an excellent book club choice.   

I received this book as part of the First Reads program on Goodreads and was really excited to read it.  I had not read anything by Jennifer McMahon before and my cousin had recommended the book to me.  The Winter People will definitely keep you reading late into the night.  The story is very suspenseful and twisted.  The writing is well paced and unfolds quickly.  The author does an excellent job of character development and you feel like you know each character well.  Honestly, this book is a little outside of what I normally read, but I did enjoy it and believe that fans of Steven King and Gillian Flynn should add this book to their to-read list.