A Life Between Us

by Louise Walters

Tina Thornton’s twin sister Meg died in a childhood accident, but for almost forty years Tina has secretly blamed herself for her sister’s death. During a visit to her aging Uncle Edward and his sister Lucia, who both harbour dark secrets of their own, Tina makes a discovery that forces her to finally question her memories of the day her sister died. Who, if anyone, did kill Meg? As Tina finds the courage to face the past, she unravels the tangled family mysteries of her estranged parents, her beautiful French Aunt Simone, the fading, compassionate Uncle Edward, and above all, the cold, bitter Aunt Lucia, whose spectral presence casts a long shadow over them all. A Life Between Us is a beautifully evocative story of a family torn apart at the seams, which will appeal to readers who enjoy family sagas and modern-day mysteries.

Genres: Fiction

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2017

About the author

I'm a freelance editor and the author of five novels:
Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase
A Life Between Us
The Road to California
The Hermit
We Are Family

Reviews

[Cat Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

90% of this book was a 5 star book.

10% of this book was a 2.5 star book.

We will call it a 4 star book. Most of it was really good, but one portion, rather central to the story, was a weak plot point for me. It was possible to just sort of tie that part up in a package and pretend it was an acceptable explanation for the rest of the book, and the rest of the book was very enjoyable and a really good read.

I felt it was very well written, with a well developed main character. The supporting cast was developed less so, but it was a short 169 page book. You can only do so much in such a small number of pages. The characters were all strong enough to pull their weight and drive the story forward, if not particularly deep.

Overall it was a quick and enjoyable read, save the one weak plot point. I will be keeping my eye out for Ms. Walters next book.

*Copy provided by NetGalley and Matador in exchange for honest review. Thanks for making it available!

See my reviews at www.booknerdcat.wordpress.com

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incest, death of a child, divorce, parental abandonment, psychoses, abortion, adultery. This was a very good book that dealt with very disturbing topics. Tina has spent close to four decades unsuccessfully trying to cope with the loss of her twin sister, Meg. Tina witnessed the accident that took her sister’s life when the girls were only eight years old. She is convinced she is somehow responsible for Meg’s death, and her guilt manifests itself in a personality disorder. Tina carries on conversations with her sister in her head as well as audibly, and she compulsively visits Meg’s grave. Tina’s husband, Keaton, has been very supportive of his wife for nearly twenty years. However, he is beginning to lose patience with Tina’s reluctance to seek professional help. Cracks are appearing in the marriage as Keaton longs for a healthy relationship.

Intertwined with Tina’s story is the backstory of her father William’s childhood. William was the youngest of five children. His brothers Robert and Ambrose have minor parts in the book, but his sister Lucia and brother Edward play prominent roles. Lucia was six years old when her baby brother was born. She was old enough to be resentful of the attention he received, so she treated William cruelly for years. However, she adored her brother Edward and would go out of her way to please him. Years later, her strong affection for Edward would lead to dark family secrets. And when the mean-spirited girl grew up to be a cold and callous woman, the next generation to bear the brunt of her cruelty would be William’s children, Meg and Tina. Lucia was also present the day Meg died, and she was quick to blame Tina. With only two witnesses to the accident—one a devious adult, the other a traumatized child—whose recollection of that day is correct?

If the subjects in the first sentence of this review trigger an emotional reaction, you may want to avoid this book. Otherwise, expect to find some interesting and unexpected twists in this intriguing narrative. Despite the subject matter, the book does end on a positive note. Louise Walters is a very talented author, and she has just acquired a new fan!

Thank you to Matador and NetGalley for a complimentary digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This review can also be seen on my blog at: https://hopenbooksdotcom.wordpress.co...

[Mo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, it was a wonderful story but…

I had some problems with this book – here are my biggest ones:

• This is a 170 page novel, and the time period goes back and forth a total of 60 times. It has 45 chapters (each heralding a different date) plus 20 letters from the past (inserted into the story at various times). That averages out to a time shift every 3 pages. I think that is just nuts. How in the world are you supposed to establish any type of flow to your reading if the story is constantly being interrupted? I understand the need for the back and forth, but not the frequency.

• No matter how necessary it is to drive the plot forward, I do NOT enjoy reading about incest.

• I thought the Epilogue was completely unnecessary. We pretty much already knew most of what had occurred, and nothing of any significance was revealed. It was a very strange way to end the book.

• I was left wondering exactly what had happened the night of the dance when Lucia was traumatized by Clive Stubbins. What could he have said to Lucia to make her react the way she did? Since this incident seemed to be a huge turning point in the story, I would have hoped to have been clued in on the details.

The author is without a doubt a gifted storyteller, and the complexity of her story was impressive. Even though I enjoyed several aspects of the novel, the constant time shifts just about killed me. It became less a story, and more a jigsaw puzzle. In all honesty, I felt the book suffered from the lack of some good editing.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
An enjoyable, intelligent novel about why people do the things they do and how even though years separate people's lives the same issues resonate. Precisely written with information and revealations carefully deployed in the story. Intriguing.

[Jackie Wadsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This kind of book is not my usual thing (hence the shelf tag). I don't tend to enjoy psychological stuff (except maybe exciting murder mysteries) but I'm not keen on looking deeply into people's lives and working out why they tick. Not in real life set ups anyway. Chuck in a few dragons and I'm away...

Anyway, I bought this for my mum for Christmas as I follow the author/publisher on Twitter and she was struggling to pay a bill, so every little helps as they say. My mum loved it! Loved it. She raved about it, and I was intrigued.

It takes place both in the past and the present. The past story starts in the 1950s and carries on up to the late 60s. It starts with Lucia and her family, she is the only girl in a family of 5 children. She loves her big brother Edward, who is ten years older than her, and very cool. Robert and Ambrose are bit players, just side characters. William the youngest, born when Lucia is 6, is kind of important but also barely appears. I'll explain, if I can...

The present part of the story is told by Tina, who is 46 year old woman, who is a little bit away with the fairies. When she was eight, her twin sister died and Tina has spent the last 38 years blaming herself for the death - she had put herself and her sister in danger and the sister died. Her husband, Keaton, is madly in love with her but is starting to get to a point where he needs her to get over the death of her sister. Tina still sees Meg, her sister. She can talk to her, hear her answers. Meg tells her to do things that Tina isn't happy about, but she does anyway.

As the two stories go forward, we learn about Lucia back in the 50s and 60s and what happened to her and why she became the adult she became. Her story becomes intwined with Meg and Tina's, as William, the younger brother, is their father. But when Meg dies, the girls' mother takes off and abandons the daughter left behind. William does his best but is clueless and turns to drink. Tina, aged 8 and having lost her sister (although she doesn't think she has as Meg is still there, just no one else can see her) moves in with her granny and Aunt Lucia and Uncle Edward.

The years between Tina being about ten, and 46 are kind of missed out, but I don't think they are very important.

At 46, she meets a lady called Kath who helps her to come to terms with the death of her sister, and Tina comes to understand that she was 8 years old and it really wasn't her fault, and it was Lucia's words on the day "Tina! What have you done!" that made Tina believe for so long that she was to blame.

This was an intriguing book and, as I say, not my usual cup of tea, but I enjoyed it and it kept me up until 1am so it can't have been bad! I don't know that I particularly liked any of the characters, even Tina, the protagonist, was hard to like due to the way she allowed her dead sister to manipulate her, and she hurt people who loved her because of it. But it is a mental illness, perhaps, so she can't really be blamed.

People are complicated beasts, and I do feel that the world would be a better place without them. What a mess we leave behind. Meg was not nice to her sister, but she was badly treated by the adults around her. I think if we just all practised kindness towards others, maybe we would have less damaged people. But what do I know?

4 stars.

[ChillwithabookAWARD With · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Life Between Us by Louise Walters has received a Chill with a Book Readers' Award.
www.chillwithabook.com

"What a brilliant and very complex story."

"A well written book with engaging characters whose darker sides take the reader on a page turning journey."

"Section that stood out for me was… “This was a house that breathed its history; it sighed and whispered of its tragedies, of which there had been two.”"

Pauline Barclay
Founder of Chill with a Book Awards

[Lynn Mccarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book I do like books that alternate between past and present.
Its a family saga and a love story with dark secrets, betrayal and redemption.
There are 2 main characters Lucia and Tina.Lucia is Tina's aunt and Tina lives in the present day and has secrets about the death of her sister Meg as a child.
A great conclusion to the book I must read this authors other books.

Thank you to the Author Netgalley the Publisher for a chance to read this book.

[Betsy Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book via Goodreads First Reads. This story was instantly engrossing and I found myself reading long in to the night a few times. The secrets in this book were shocking. I caught myself talking out loud a few response to something I had just read. I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Debbie Carroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Survivor’s guilt, revenge, memory tricks, childhood friendship and rivalry are at the centre of this family drama. In ‘A Life Between Us’ by Louise Walters, forty-something Tina visits the grave of twin sister Meg each week and holds conversations with her. Tina has buried a secret so deep even her husband doesn’t know it. Only one other person was there when Meg died, the twins’ Aunt Lucia. But this is a complicated family with so many stories of betrayal, flight, lies, secrets and denials that until the end I was waiting for someone else to appear as a witness.
The first half was a slow-burn and I longed to get to the first turning point of the story, which when it came was not a surprise. This slow-burn means this is not a psychological thriller but a study of the long-term effects on children violently bereaved, survivor guilt, misplaced memory and grief. We are told the story via multiple viewpoints: Tina, then and now; Tina’s childhood letters; Tina’s husband Keaton who loves his wife but struggles to cope with her depression and guilt; and Aunt Lucia, then and now. For me, this was too many viewpoints and too many characters, making it rather involved and at times repetitive. Walters’ story involves a large family and perhaps the story would be stronger with less siblings. Certainly the absent Robert and jailbird Ambrose added little to Tina’s story, and her parents are virtually invisible. The device of Tina’s childhood letters to cousin Elizabeth in California became repetitive and irritating, it is so difficult to write in the voice of a child. I also found myself sympathising with Aunt Lucia who is portrayed as something of a harridan in a dysfunctional family, though she too has experienced difficult times which she has kept secret.
An at times long-winded story which, at its heart, explores something deep, difficult and sensitive.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-revie...

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

They say "the devil is in the detail" and for anyone who grew up in the fifties and sixties this novel is full of those tiny details that hurtle you back in time: Spangles, Sindy dolls, those oh so painful Clackers and the novel Ballet Shoes, to mention just a few of my favourite childhood things. Then there are the subtle clues planted throughout a narrative that twists and turns, building tension and suspense as it goes. This is not a particularly pleasant cast of characters and empathy does not always come easily but for those of us who grew up in the era where secrets and lies ruined lives and scandals were swept under carpets,Tina's story rings true. Her struggle to overcome the horrors of her past is immense and I did find myself rooting for her. Louise Walters is such a clever writer. I enjoyed Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase and as a second novel, this does not disappoint. It was wonderful.

[Emma Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase so I was delighted to see another novel from Louise Walters - and this is even better. The story of Tina and her twin sister Meg, it explores the fallout from one terrible, misguided action, and an act of pure spite. It cuts between the 1960s, 70s and the present day with great skill. I noticed that the author is now self-publishing, and had expected bad editing, but this book has been professionally edited and thoroughly with not a typo or continuity error in sight. The characters are well-rounded and memorable. Really, really good. I highly recommend.

[Nicola Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Life Between Us is the story of how losing her twin has affected the whole of Tina's life and about how secrets within families can eat you up. We have two time frames: one is 2014 in which Tina and her husband, Keaton (by the way, what a fab name!) are going about their everyday life. Tina has never been able to come to terms with Meg's death at the age of eight. Keaton loves Tina dearly but temptation is coming his way and Tina's strange behaviour is pushing him closer towards it. And we also have the sections in the past: mean Lucia's story and then the long, hot summer of 1976, that summer when Tina and Meg are eight and we know disaster is coming.

Louise Walters has a really charming writing style. She deals with key issues of grief, loss and disappointment so well. In the interview at the back of the book she talks about trying to put a twist into her writing but finding that that is not something she excels at. And isn't that refreshing at the moment? A straight up and down story with no big reveals, just a really well put together narrative where events unfold as we read them.

There are characters to really care about in this book. I really took to Keaton and Edward in particular, and I did also like Tina and her friend, Kath. Lucia was the villain of the piece and her dissatisfaction with life and everything in it was palpable. She was a character I loved to hate!

I'd previously read Louise Walters' first book, Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase, which I enjoyed, but I enjoyed A Life Between Us more. It's a brave foray into self-publishing for the author which I believe will pay off. It's an excellent read. I love to read about families and how they interact with each other and deal with life's trials and tribulations and this is the perfect book to showcase that. The different time frames work well as a vehicle for revealing the story and it all came together beautifully at the end. I loved it!

[Sarah Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

A life Between Us

A novel of redemption, this tender story shows how the foolish impulse of a moment can devastate a family for generations to come.
Forty-something Tina is still mourning the twin she lost in childhood. Except she never really lost her, because Meg is still there, talking to her from beyond the grave. Meg was always the feisty one, whereas Tina, nervous and timid still appears to live in Meg’s shadow. Haunted by guilt over a past event, the only thing making her life tolerable is her passion for reading.
This is very much a book-lover’s novel. Even in her childhood letters to Cousin Elizabeth, Tina’s love of books shines out. She is fixated by the Fossil family in Ballet Shoes, something which resonated with me, as it’s a book I enjoyed myself as a child.
For me these letters to Elizabeth are the most enjoyable part of this novel. Tina’s voice is one of joyful innocence, in poignant contrast to the surrounding adults, particularly embittered aunt Lucia who cares for the twins whilst their mother works. The gradual change in tone of these letters, echoes Tina’s emotional state, as events begin to over-shadow her. We see through the letters how her spirit, previously so bright and effervescent has been gradually crushed.
Meanwhile the novel slips back and forth across the decades as past secrets are uncovered, layer by layer. The period detail is superb. For older readers there’s much to enjoy and recognize: Helen Shapiro, Parma Violets, Babycham and ‘Nice’ biscuits.
Fashions may change as the years pass, but Louise Walter’s warm and insightful writing shows how human nature remains much the same. This is not the kind of novel you want to rush. Read slowly and savour.

[Leah Moyse · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Life Between Us is an utterly intriguing and compelling story. It is set across varying decades including the present day and it tells the story of one family. The characters were haunting, emotive and nuanced.

An exploration of family secrets, betrayals and mysteries, makes this book taut and suspenseful. I particularly enjoyed discovering how the characters past actions can cause lasting effects in the future both for themselves and others.

Tina is still grieving the loss of her twin, who died when they were children, she has never quite got over it. It effects her daily life and relationship with her husband. Tina's Aunt Lucia is not a likeable character and is very unhappy in life, nothing pleases her and everybody feels her wrath and bitterness. Tina is particularly close to her Uncle Edward, but he seems to have something to hide.

Particularly poignant parts of the book include Tina's childhood letters that she writes to her cousin in America. This only added more detail to a character that was to become deeply involved with the loss of her sister.

This book is something of a family saga with an element of mystery involved. The pace of the book is not fast but it was exciting to read, waiting patiently for the characters and their pasts to unravel for the reader.

I found this book to be absorbing and wonderfully written, the different threads of the story never becoming confused but carefully being sewn together at the end to create a satisfying ending.

I really recommend this one, a story of grief and loss, family ties, mysteries and secrets.

[Isaías · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Death was all around, as dark and unavoidable as the night trying to push through the windows, trying to swallow her up in blackness."

I really enjoyed this whole family-saga, Walters managed to create such a fast-paced story surrounded by mysteries and secrecy. Even though, most of the "secrets" are shown to us in the early beginning, there's this curiosity and built-up tension that hooks you in and you can't stop reading. It helps also that the chapters are short, and I adored when books move back and forth in time.

Our main character is Tina, a 46-year-old woman who can't move on after her twin sister died when she was 8. She thinks she is guilty, she still sees her sister's "spirit" next to her all the time, but one day all those beliefs start to change. Most of the other passages are told either in Tina's -disgusting- aunt, Lucia or her husband, Keaton's POV. What I liked so much about Walter's style is that she managed to present us each character in such a realistic way, we see their good values, their empathy, but also their flaws, their mistakes. She shows us how every person can make mistakes but that the choice of becoming a "good" or "bad" person is completely ours to make, and she did it quite elegantly.

I didn't like the ending completely, I liked an aspect of it, but most of it felt too "happily-ever-after", and I just couldn't buy it. However, this is an addictive story about family, secrets and healing. If you have any interest on this book, I'd say you give it a go.

[Laura Laakso · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Life Between Us is, at its core, about secrets and the destructiveness of them. A single, thoughtless act resonates through a family for several generations and casts its shadow over people far removed from the initial event.

The story is told by different narrators and covers many decades. What impressed me from the very beginning was the subtle way in which information about the family and the individuals were introduced. Facts that seemed irrelevant at first became relevant later on in the story. It is a mark of a good, confident author that the reader is allowed to piece the puzzle and to build the picture for themselves.

One of the narrative strands is a series of letters written by young Tina Thornton to her American cousin. The reader has only one half of the correspondence and I was left wondering what might Elizabeth's responses been like. Through the authentic voice of a child, amidst descriptions of books and sweets, we find out more about the whole family.

A Life Between Us is very different from the books I usually read, but I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend it to everyone. I will certainly go back to it at some point, to see how different the story looks now that I already know the characters. A Life Between Us also made me want to look up Louise's other books; another mark of a great writer.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is primarily the story of Tina and the effect on her life of her 8 year old twin sisters death 40 years earlier. Tina believes she was responsible for her sisters death and the guilt haunts her adult life affecting her relationships and her sanity. Interwoven with Tina's story is the wider family drama surrounding Tina's Aunts and Uncles Especially her Aunt Lucia and her relationship with her brother Edward.
The story is written on several levels travelling back and forth through the time periods of Tina's childhood (as well as before her birth) and the present day and also includes letters written by the 8 year old Tina to a Pen friend around the time of her sisters death.
I have to say this is not the sort of story I would usually read and if I am honest I did not really like the characters and at times I was irritated by the actions of some of them. It certainly wasn't a cheery read and I felt the ending was a little to 'tidy'. Criticism aside I must admit that I was really compelled to read this book - something about the way it was crafted really gripped me so though I didn't engage with the characters it kept me reading to the end.

[Alva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This poignant story revives memories of childhood times. Not of the pain and loss experienced by the main character but the supporting details of toys, routines, play times, tree-climbing, etc. While travelling Tina's life path before and since the death of her twin sister, Meg, one loses oneself in that wonderful childhood detail.
This is a story of family, loss, childhood fears and relationships. The clever telling through letters to a faraway cousin draws the reader into Tina's mind. Her adult life is persecuted by memories of her sister's death and the reasons why.
Louise Walters weaves an intricate story around her characters and Tina's adult visits to the deceased Meg are disturbing and enlightening, all the while overshadowed by the woman in the green coat. Loved this book. Well done, Louise!

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Tina was 8 years old Meg, her twin sister died. Tina has spent the last 30 years blaming herself and being haunted every day about her sisters death. It has dominated her thoughts everyday and has played a crucial part in the woman that she is today.

The story spans 3 generations of the same family and shows how what happens in one generation can send shockwaves through a family for decades come.

A moving story dealing with mental health issues, grief and complex family dynamics. I picked this book by chance after just reading the blurb on the back and I am very glad that a did.

This book is perfect for fans Jodi Picoult and Katherine Webb this was a truly amazing read.

[Jacqueline Pye · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ARC of this book was sent to me at my request, with no obligations attached. Having read and greatly enjoyed Louise's first book, Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase - though I was a little confused in the early stages about the characters and the dual time - I found A Life Between Us to be clear from the start, and, if I could say, perhaps a more maturely constructed work. It was a really enjoyable read; the early part suggests a straightforward situation, but the layers are gradually peeled back, with no little drama and surprise, until the story reaches a satisfactory conclusion. Well done, that author!

[Elaine McTaggart · Rating 2 out of 5]

Louise Walters' first novel, "Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase" gave me high expectations of "A Life Between Us", but I was disappointed. The concept is good: a family saga that goes back and forth over time as Tina, the main character, struggles to come to terms with the death of her twin. However, the story drags, at times becoming repetitive, so that I was tempted to give up. I finished the book, but with no sense of satisfaction. However, I will keep a watch for the author's next work because of the promise of her first book.

[Petra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tina, the protagonist, is struggling with the death of her twin sister. Tina has not had support or help with her grief for 38 years, the grief festering all that time. It's a sad story. However, there's not enough here to make for a novel, I find.

The extended family is a mess. I'm not really sure why. Perhaps some generations grow up apart without any external help to make them so? It's not explained. Lucia is a bad apple that looks good on the surface. There are worms underneath.

There is a lot of repetition in this book and the story drags a lot. The ending is unsatisfactory.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable novel! I don't usually like a story that alternates between past and present, but it did work well in this instance. It is the first time that I have read any books by this author and am sure it will not be the last. Whilst I seldom write what a story is about for fear of spoiling for others, I do highly recommend.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers. This is my honest review.

[Lindasp · Rating 3 out of 5]

By the end of this book, I was enjoying the complex story but found the first half rather hard to follow with frequent alternating time periods between 1954, 1964, 1975 and 2013-15. As well, there were often half-hints, partial comments and unexplained statements that made it difficult to follow and understand. This was a story of a very dysfunctional family with lots of secrets from each other and from the reader.

[Rose English · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 38 of my Reading Challenge

This was a real page-turner which had me hooked. However, I did not feel I could give it the full 5* because many of the chapters started in one year then halfway through the same chapter skipped to a different year. This made it a tad frustrating and a little confusing. Other than that I loved it.

Worth giving it a go.

[Penny Haw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was quickly drawn in by Tina's story and rooted for her from the get go. I enjoy books with dual timelines that allow you to get to know the backstory while life goes on. The characterisation, complications and plot kept me intrigued throughout and I look forward to reading more from Louise Walters.

[Maryann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried. I really did try to follow this book so that maybe I would like it. The jumping time lines we confusing. The frequent letters to Elizabeth often retold what was already known. I finished the book in the hopes that Tina would finally get her life together. Did she? I'll let you find out.

[Beverley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having loved Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase I was absolutely thrilled to be given the opportunity to read a advance copy of this new offering. I was in no way disappointed - A Life Between Us is another amazingly well written, instantly absorbing read. Once again the quality of of descriptive prose is superb and the plot flows effortlessly. This story of hidden family secrets is one of the best I've read so far this year. Loved it!

[Tracey Scott-Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book quite some time ago but it's one of those that sticks with you. I love poignant stories featuring intricate family and relationship dramas, wishes and regrets and this book ticked boxes all round.