It’s been declared a Snow Day for the Region today, and although it’s already 2pm, since I’m enjoying a hot cup of chai and a Date Bar (my traditional "posting" treat), I feel that I have to write a quick post before getting back to my book, which I was hoping (optimistically!) to finish today.
I read an interesting book last week that reminded me so much of my move to Toronto when I was young, all the friends I made and the experiences I had. The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill tells the story of Darby, a young trans man living in New York. At the start of the book, he's just lost his job creating maps for a start-up, his rent is about to skyrocket, and he’ll be turning thirty in a couple of weeks. While out celebrating a birthday with a group of his queer friends, he makes the decision to move back home to Oak Falls, Illinois, to put some distance between himself and his NY life and maybe gain some perspective. But when he returns, he finds that Oak Falls has changed almost as much as he has since he left a dozen years before. His mom is selling the house and moving into a brand new condo, so he uses this as an excuse for being back any time he runs into someone he knows. The person he least/most wants to run into is his former best friend Michael, a friend who supposedly ghosted him after Darby (the girl) came back from a semester at boarding school in their senior year. Maybe if they reconnect, he can finally figure out what happened and will be able to move on and ahead, and possibly also figure out where he belongs. The only thing that hasn’t changed at all is the bookstore Darby used to work at when he was a teen, The In-Between Bookstore… at least it hasn’t changed for Darby. In fact, as soon as he walks into the bookstore, he’s transported back to 2009, and is confronted by his teen self working behind the counter. What is he supposed to do with this? Is there a reason for him to be travelling back in time (impossible, according to his research)? Should he be finding something out? Imparting wisdom to his younger self to help make the trans road easier? Or is it all random and pointless? In between bookstore visits, Darby gets swept along by his mother and by adult Michael into helping with the move, planning a party and participating in social and sports events, none of which he’s excited about. Where does he belong? Is Oak Falls the place he should settle, or should he try to get back to his friends and life in New York? In order to find out the answers to these and many other questions, you’ll have to read this whimsical, moving, delightful novel.
That's all for today. Stay warm and keep reading!
Bye for now... Julie
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