Torn Asunder

by Hannah Rae

For every hello that happens in life, a goodbye typically follows.

When Sebastian Porter says goodbye to his father at the conclusion of a phone call on October 8th, he isn’t expecting that goodbye to be the men’s last. Similarly, his best friend Bert Robinson isn’t anticipating the hello he exchanges with a complete stranger on the sidewalk to become the first hello of many.

And yet, doesn’t it so often seem that when one door closes, another one opens?

This is certainly the case for Kai Ferguson, who finds himself bidding farewell to an unhealthy lifestyle, and for Milo Kincaid, who is slow to realize that not all unwelcome hellos end up being unwelcome in the end.

Goodbyes can be difficult. Hellos aren’t always much easier.


Set against the backdrop of Callensburg, Maryland, Torn Asunder weaves a tapestry of hellos and goodbyes, comings and goings, fathers and sons, and various threads of magic.

389 pages, Paperback

Published August 14, 2024

About the author

When she was in the fourth grade, Hannah Rae couldn't fall asleep one night. She climbed out of bed, padded down the hallway to her parents' bedroom, and said, "Mom, I can't sleep." To which her mother replied, "Make up a story in your head." So Hannah created a cast of characters, and a setting, and a plot... and to this day, the first thing she thinks about when she snuggles under the covers each night are those characters and that setting. But the plot is always changing.

Reviews

[Jane Neagley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Torn Asunder is so beautifully detailed that you feel dropped into every scene as if you're standing with the characters - or, at the very least in the live studio audience to watch at close range.
Everything is time and date stamped as you go through the story which is very helpful in keeping the time line, especially with the rotating POV of the narrative. It keeps all the story lines straight and makes it easy to follow and enjoy.
The characters are deep and well thought out. I loved the little doodles of signatures or symbols dotted in the book. It was a beautiful, personal touch that the author added.

[Mary McDannell · Rating 5 out of 5]

They say to never judge a book by its cover, but I am in love with both the cover of Torn Asunder and the story it contains. Within the novel, Rae's characters span generations and are a blend of new and old favorites. Depicting themes of family and change, this story and its whimsical tone is truly worth the read.

[Hannah Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing I like most about this book is the way the storylines intersect. Granted, there are plenty of books out there that have storylines that intersect, but SO MANY storylines intersect in this novel... and they come from SO MANY other books. I mean, there's Bas from KICK IT ONE MORE TIME and Bert from RUNNING THROUGH THE WORDS and Kai from THE WAY BACK and Milo from TIME JUMPS and Pippa from COME AND GO SO QUICKLY and everybody just... intersects! And it's awesome!

Also, this particular novel was really fun to write. Like, REALLY fun. So I'd rate it 5/5 stars based on that alone.