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The Darkness Between the Stars
Award winning author Julie Burtinshaw has written compelling and provocative novel about the realities of teen suicide. This is a gritty, honest heartfelt book that is ultimately filled with hope. And not easily forgotten.
Now available to download at your iTunes store.
Pages: 219
Size: 1.0 MB
Now available to download at your iTunes store.
Pages: 219
Size: 1.0 MB
203 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2011
116 people want to read
About the author
Julie Burtinshaw
12 books17 followersJulie Burtinshaw was born in Vancouver, BC and has lived in many different cities and towns both inside and outside of Canada. She has been an avid reader since childhood and began to keep journals and diaries from the moment she could hold a pen in her hand.
Julie is an award-winning author of seven books for young adults and teens. She wrote her first novel in 2000, and has been a full time writer since 2007. When not writing, Julie teaches creative writing workshops, content writing workshops and is an active participant in the writing community. She has served as a judge for the BC Book Awards, Red Cedar Awards, Illinois Women's Press Association Communications and mentored many emerging and upcoming writers.
Julie is a member of the following professional organizations:
• CWILL
• The BC Federation of Writers
• The Writer’s Union of Canada
Julie spent three months (2007) as the Writer In Residence at the Berton House in Dawson City and six weeks as the Writer In Residence at the Gunnar Gunnarsson Institute in East Iceland (2008).
That's because she loves to travel and write.
Julie is an award-winning author of seven books for young adults and teens. She wrote her first novel in 2000, and has been a full time writer since 2007. When not writing, Julie teaches creative writing workshops, content writing workshops and is an active participant in the writing community. She has served as a judge for the BC Book Awards, Red Cedar Awards, Illinois Women's Press Association Communications and mentored many emerging and upcoming writers.
Julie is a member of the following professional organizations:
• CWILL
• The BC Federation of Writers
• The Writer’s Union of Canada
Julie spent three months (2007) as the Writer In Residence at the Berton House in Dawson City and six weeks as the Writer In Residence at the Gunnar Gunnarsson Institute in East Iceland (2008).
That's because she loves to travel and write.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 6, 2016
This book was definitely one of the most frustrating novels I've ever read. It's been a while since I had read it, but the it resonated with me for the wrong reasons.
Normally, I don't like to read books that deal with issues such as suicide and rape mainly because most of the time, the authors don't even have any of those experiences on their own. How do I know that? Due to the use of clichés or lazy story telling that reveals that the story is actually based on a newspaper article clipping.
With THE DARKNESS BETWEEN THE STARS, it's hard to tell. My heart was broken in the end and I couldn't help thinking over and over again that it could have easily been prevented. I couldn't even understand what Cole's deal was. The personal problems of both Cole and his sister were far too complex for this story. It just didn't fit in the lives of young teens almost to the point where it didn't make any sense.
There was little parental intervention, the parents were not drug addicts, or workaholics (if I recall correctly), nor were they alcoholics, yet they lost absolute control over their son. My own brother went through a time like this and even threatened to run away from home several times, but we intervened. Now, he's a changed man who is starting his career as soon as he graduates from college. Here, we have an educated sister, who just watches, literally watches her own brother whither away, parents who don't even try and idiot friends who have no clue what is going on with their "friend".
There were far more issues for me, but I'd have to reread the book again to give better examples, but I'm not going through the frustration again. I know that the author's goal may have been to make everyone aware of issues such as these, but when I picked this book up in my local library, I did not expect this to be an awareness lecture in the form of a book.
Normally, I don't like to read books that deal with issues such as suicide and rape mainly because most of the time, the authors don't even have any of those experiences on their own. How do I know that? Due to the use of clichés or lazy story telling that reveals that the story is actually based on a newspaper article clipping.
With THE DARKNESS BETWEEN THE STARS, it's hard to tell. My heart was broken in the end and I couldn't help thinking over and over again that it could have easily been prevented. I couldn't even understand what Cole's deal was. The personal problems of both Cole and his sister were far too complex for this story. It just didn't fit in the lives of young teens almost to the point where it didn't make any sense.
There was little parental intervention, the parents were not drug addicts, or workaholics (if I recall correctly), nor were they alcoholics, yet they lost absolute control over their son. My own brother went through a time like this and even threatened to run away from home several times, but we intervened. Now, he's a changed man who is starting his career as soon as he graduates from college. Here, we have an educated sister, who just watches, literally watches her own brother whither away, parents who don't even try and idiot friends who have no clue what is going on with their "friend".
There were far more issues for me, but I'd have to reread the book again to give better examples, but I'm not going through the frustration again. I know that the author's goal may have been to make everyone aware of issues such as these, but when I picked this book up in my local library, I did not expect this to be an awareness lecture in the form of a book.
August 7, 2011
"Darkness Between the Start" a very powerful and emotional story.
This book should be read by every parent and teen. This is a story that shows how teenagers can have much stress and pressure to succeed which could lead to depression and thoughts of suicide when life becomes to overwhelming. Parents should not ignore signs and strange behavior and try to seek help before their child gets totally out of control. This book would be great for a must read book in high school. DIscussions should be held regarding how to get help for depression and also how suicide effects entire families for the rest of their lives. I myself have learned a lot from reading this and hope many others will read it too. This can possible save lives. I received the book through Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
This book should be read by every parent and teen. This is a story that shows how teenagers can have much stress and pressure to succeed which could lead to depression and thoughts of suicide when life becomes to overwhelming. Parents should not ignore signs and strange behavior and try to seek help before their child gets totally out of control. This book would be great for a must read book in high school. DIscussions should be held regarding how to get help for depression and also how suicide effects entire families for the rest of their lives. I myself have learned a lot from reading this and hope many others will read it too. This can possible save lives. I received the book through Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
August 17, 2012
Wonderful. Simply wonderful.
You know exactly how its going to turn out, the first page explains it subtly but unmistakably.
Even so, you get attached.
You learn, and learn, and feel and understand, untill finally, you're in too deep not to cry about it.
But thats the thing the author has done so well.
Even though we know what happens, we desperately hope it wont.
We desperately hope someone will notice enough to do something to change a future thats set in ink.
And in the end, we realize the purpose- the meaning.
An unforgetable book.
Unforgetable.
You know exactly how its going to turn out, the first page explains it subtly but unmistakably.
Even so, you get attached.
You learn, and learn, and feel and understand, untill finally, you're in too deep not to cry about it.
But thats the thing the author has done so well.
Even though we know what happens, we desperately hope it wont.
We desperately hope someone will notice enough to do something to change a future thats set in ink.
And in the end, we realize the purpose- the meaning.
An unforgetable book.
Unforgetable.
October 13, 2022
This book is such a hidden gem. Maybe my favorite book i’ve read this year, and that says a lot. Why isn’t it more popular?
A very accurate example of depression and suicide, especially ones not caused by any well-defined traumatic event.
A very accurate example of depression and suicide, especially ones not caused by any well-defined traumatic event.
February 17, 2013
I was very impressed with the poetry of this book. What I mean is that it flowed almost seamlessly and expressed emotion in beautiful words. Julie Burtinshaw professionally makes the siblings contrast in every sense! I was even caught off-guard when there was the narrator change, from Kate to Cole, as it the voice changed from third to first person, respectively, reinforcing that Kate was always the 'other' in the sense that she no place in the family, that she had no 'self'-esteem or confidence, and that Cole's first word, "Me," demonstrates how centred he is in everyone's world.
I did, however, prefer the first half of the novel, the Kate-driven part, how Kate was so convicted to get answers to her questions and comfort her brother... It seemed almost as though her perspective was deserted, left unsolved.
I also felt that the ending was very abrupt. I understand that suicide is very abrupt and impossible to understand, but all Kate had to say was that she hated cole more in death than she had when he was alive... I would have thought that she would have had something more profound to say than that - I mean that's exactly what Anna said!
And sorry for being over observant and picky but there an awful lot of typos throughout this novel, and I cannot fish for any reasons as to why this could have been intentional, so...
But this story really developed an understanding of the deterioration of a person with suicidal thoughts and how we could see the cues the people are a little off, and when you know they need help. This book teaches that lesson that you must step in if you think someone is changing for the worst, and that that intervention could save their life.
I did, however, prefer the first half of the novel, the Kate-driven part, how Kate was so convicted to get answers to her questions and comfort her brother... It seemed almost as though her perspective was deserted, left unsolved.
I also felt that the ending was very abrupt. I understand that suicide is very abrupt and impossible to understand, but all Kate had to say was that she hated cole more in death than she had when he was alive... I would have thought that she would have had something more profound to say than that - I mean that's exactly what Anna said!
And sorry for being over observant and picky but there an awful lot of typos throughout this novel, and I cannot fish for any reasons as to why this could have been intentional, so...
But this story really developed an understanding of the deterioration of a person with suicidal thoughts and how we could see the cues the people are a little off, and when you know they need help. This book teaches that lesson that you must step in if you think someone is changing for the worst, and that that intervention could save their life.
February 13, 2015
It was heartbreaking. The writing was nice and so was the plot. But more than nice- it was important. It feels selfish to ask someone suicidal to stay for your sake but .. maybe its selfish of the one that commits suicide to leave everyone else in pain and grief. I'm not sure which is right or wrong but those are the thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head since reading this. The parents were horrible and the reality of the matter is that MANY parents don't know how to deal with their children properly. It's an issue that parents need to be made aware of in order to better help their children.
Just a sidenote on how I came across this book: About a year or 2 ago, me and a dear friend were exchanging our favourite quotes when she mentioned this one: "That's the difference between you and me. You see the stars, I see what's between them"
That line intrigued me so much so that I was hard set on reading this story one day.
Just a sidenote on how I came across this book: About a year or 2 ago, me and a dear friend were exchanging our favourite quotes when she mentioned this one: "That's the difference between you and me. You see the stars, I see what's between them"
That line intrigued me so much so that I was hard set on reading this story one day.
Read
November 14, 2011The tactic of telling the story from the present then jumping to the past, to the kind of past, to the present, and back to the past didn't work because there was never an emotional thrust, there was not a character arc, and there were so few clues to the reader about what was present and past. That's less an issue in the story and more when it comes to the random diary entries meant to be the window into Kate. The third person doesn't help the story, either.
I found the writing weak and characters shells of what they could be. Tenses weren't quite consistent, either. I found it hard to navigate the writing, let alone the story.
On the plus side, I got to spend a moment with a loonie.
I found the writing weak and characters shells of what they could be. Tenses weren't quite consistent, either. I found it hard to navigate the writing, let alone the story.
On the plus side, I got to spend a moment with a loonie.
September 23, 2011
This isn't the type of book i usually read but something about it caught my eye. I found myself praying for a different outcome for Cole as i felt sorry for him. Definitely one to read for any parent.
March 20, 2012
I loved this book! It was veryy depressing but it was amaaaziing!!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews