Review of The Middle Between Us

Please use this forum to discuss historical fiction books. Common definitions define historical fiction as novels written at least 25-50 years after the book's setting.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Post Reply
User avatar
Eva Nyaburi
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 451
Joined: 07 Jul 2021, 10:28
Currently Reading: In It Together
Bookshelf Size: 153
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-eva-nyaburi.html
Latest Review: Alpha Buddies Land by Donna Marie Rink

Review of The Middle Between Us

Post by Eva Nyaburi »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Middle Between Us" by Itamar S.N..]
Book Cover
4 out of 5 stars
Share This Review


Itamar S.N.'s novel The Middle Between Us revolves around two distinct characters. Katya is introduced in the story as a young girl who has recently lost her father, and as a result, both she and her mother have gone to live with Uncle Alexander. She is lonely, sad, and lost, especially because her mother appears to be depressed and withdrawn since her father's death. She meets Anush on a walk up the mountains, and they quickly form a strong bond. What began as a friendship soon blossomed into true love. However, there is a major impediment to their love, and that is religion. Katya is Armenian, while Anush is Muslim. While Katya's mother was accepting of their unconditional love, Anush's family was the polar opposite. Adding to their obstacles is the war that is going on and the massive attacks on Armenian civilians by Muslim Turks. On the other side of the story, we meet Erez, a gay man who hasn't been on a date in a long time and appears to have lost all hope in love until he meets the perfect match for him. However, his ideal match appears to be reserved, and Erez quickly discovers that Nivgi is only discovering who he is and that everything is new to him. Can Erez be patient enough to let Niv discover himself and come out of the closet on his terms, or will he grow tired of hiding their love and abandon him? Read the book to learn what happened in Katya's and Erez's situations.

I enjoyed how the author described the characters and their surroundings. Katya was the one with whom I felt the most connected. I could understand her anguish at losing her father and feeling isolated. Her love for Anush was so strong and pure, and I admired her enthusiasm for their future together. She had faith in them even when everything seemed to be working against them. I imagined how difficult it must have been to keep their love hidden from the rest of the world, including their own families.

The book's tendency to drag out certain scenes made me lose interest in the narrative at times. The conclusion, in my opinion, was hurried and poorly explained. That is because the plot and the characters were well-developed, and I was a little disappointed by the ending. I didn't feel the lives of the two protagonists were connected in any way while reading the book.

I rate the book four out of five stars. I deducted one star because of the abrupt ending, and I believe the author could have done a better job at bringing a well-thought-out ending that didn’t leave any loose ends. I believed that the book fell short of providing all the information I wanted to know about the story and how the plots evolved. The book was superbly edited, and while reading it, I found no grammatical errors.

I suggest this book to readers who enjoy romantic fiction. This book does an excellent job of describing the love lives of the characters and their struggles to remain a couple.

******
The Middle Between Us
View: on Bookshelves
Post Reply

Return to “Historical Fiction”