The In-Between Bookstore
A Novel
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
“What would you tell your teen self if you could go back in time? Underhill’s tender, innovative debut is the smartest take on this trope I’ve ever read. . . and for the record, I read it in a single sitting. A beautiful, thoughtful study of how we find our truest selves, and whom we choose to trust with that gift.” — Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author
A poignant and enchanting novel about a magical bookstore that transports a trans man through time and brings him face-to-face with his teenage self, offering him the chance of a lifetime to examine his life and identity to find a new beginning.
When Darby finds himself unemployed and in need of a fresh start, he moves back to the small Illinois town he left behind. But Oak Falls has changed almost as much as he has since he left.
One thing is familiar: In Between Books, Darby’s refuge growing up and eventual high school job. When he walks into the bookstore now, Darby feels an eerie sense of déjà vu—everything is exactly the same. Even the newspapers are dated 2009. And behind the register is a teen who looks a lot like Darby did at sixteen. . . who just might give Darby the opportunity to change his own present for the better—if he can figure out how before his connection to the past vanishes forever.
The In-Between Bookstore is a stunning novel of love, self-discovery, and the choices that come with both, for anyone who has ever wondered what their life might be like if they had the chance to go back and take a bigger, braver risk.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A trans man returns to his hometown and encounters his teen self in this tender adult debut from YA author Underhill (This Day Changes Everything). On the cusp of turning 30 and just laid off from his New York City startup job, Darby Madden travels to rural Oak Falls, Ill., to help his mom move out of his childhood home. When Darby visits the bookstore where he worked as a teenager, he discovers it hasn't changed and is surprised that the bookseller on duty looks just like he did before his transition. Before he sorts out whether entering the bookstore caused him to travel through time, and if he really did see his previous self, Darby bumps into Michael Weaver, the best friend who cut him off after Darby transferred to a boarding school during their senior year. As Darby tries to figure out what went wrong between them, a kiss from Michael throws him even further out of sorts. The story has the feel of a YA novel with adult characters—Darby worries he's "still not cool enough" for New York City after 12 years there, the plot is shaped by lingering high school drama—but Underhill lands the speculative elements with precision. Grown-up fans of YA fiction will appreciate this bittersweet tale.
