Abigail Bennett was completely in control of her life until tragedy pushed her to the brink of something she's never experienced: Obsession. Now she's given up everything she's worked for to chase down the object of that obsession. His name is Tyler Kamp. As Abigail follows him across the border into Canada, her journey is awash in memories of family and childhood, especially those of her younger sister, Hailey. Even as Abigail races into her future, her past pulls her back. Only when she is brought to the edge of her obsession will she be able to come to terms with the tragedy that ignited it.
Abigail Bennett was completely in control of her life until tragedy pushed her to the brink of something she’s never experienced: Obsession. Now she’s given up everything she’s ever worked for to chase down the object of that obsession. His name is Tyler Kamp. As Abigail follows him across the border into Canada, her journey is awash in memories of family and childhood, especially those of her younger sister Hailey. Even as Abigail races into her future, her past pulls her back. Only when she is brought to the edge of her obsession will she be able to come to terms with the tragedy that ignited it.
Baart (Summer Snow) writes an emotionally intense tale of two sisters. Past and present alternate as the history of their family unfolds in order to explain their present circumstances. The present is largely set in a winery in British Columbia, where one of the sisters, Abigail Bennett, pursues Tyler Kamp, her sister Hailey's boyfriend. The vineyard offers opportunity for beautiful description and resonant imagery as the narrative unspools. Abigail is presented in painful, almost claustrophobic, detail as she deals with the central puzzle of her family and history. But some of the supporting characters, while intriguing, are slightly off-pitch. Hailey's boyfriend Tyler isn't presented fully enough, and winemaker Eli Dixon occasionally becomes more of a symbol than a character with a compelling back story. But Baart has exactly right the members and dynamics of the Bennett family, locked in the manic dance of mental illness. She tells a poignant and gripping story. (May) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Average Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars(4.5 out of 5 stars)
6 of 6 Reviews Showing:
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by J. David (Little Rock, AR), November 15, 2009
Outstanding - Read and You Will Remember!
Perfectly crafted, Nicole Baart tells the past while revealing the future in this emotionally charged story of a sister's dedication to family, selfish desires and her obsession for revenge.
A wonderfully written tale, Baart's characters endure the very real issues of mental illness, selfish desires and the struggle to understand and except an undying, everlasting grace.
Nicole Baart’s writing is “real life fiction” at its best.
Read it. Experience it. Remember it.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by David Alves (Bristol Connecticut), June 21, 2009
All I have to say is "oh my goodness!" When I picked up the book at Borders yesterday, the first thing I noticed is that Francine Rivers gave it a fabulous review. Knowing Francine to be a beautiful authoress whose pen has blessed me with Truth warped in lyrical words, I decided to buy it. I was taken aback on the first page. I have never read a Christian novel so stunningly written! The lyricism of the words, the emotion welling up in me as I read of Abigail’s painful journey, the stark poetry of describing both joy and pain—wow! So many times people have a stereotype of Christian fiction being simple minded, poorly written, and idyllic. This novel, along with a few others, have broken that stereotype for me--forever. I can only hope our sister writes much more in the years to come.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Katie Ganshert (Bettendorf, IA), June 17, 2009
I just finished the last page of The Moment Between, by Nicole Baart. I feel like I always feel after finishing a wonderful book - satisfied and a little sad. Satisfied because the ending was beautifully written and thought-provoking, and sad because I hate to say goodbye to the world Nicole created.
The Moment Between explores the ties of family, the chains of mental illness, and the power of redemption. This three-tiered story centers on sisters, Abigail and Hailey Bennett. It begins with a tragedy that alters Abigail's life and catapults her into the throws of obsession. This obsession propels her to leave her successful life in Florida and leads her to a vineyard in British Columbia. Nicole Baart masterfully weaves together three distinct time periods in Abigail's life: her childhood with Hailey, immediately following the tragedy, and her trek to B.C. in pursuit of her obsession. The three stories come together bit by bit, revealing intriguing layers of Abigail's life until the very end.
The story is rich in psychology, dealing with family dysfunction and the impact of mental illness. Nicole Baart's prose are captivating and beautiful, reading like poetry and gliding over the tongue like a fine wine, which is appropriate, as wine is used symbolically throughout the novel. The characters are deep, the plot is piercing, and the message is subtle, yet profound. If you are looking for a story that will stick with you long after you shut the book, this is a must read.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Jill Williamson (Oregon), May 20, 2009
In the opening pages of Nicole Baart’s novel, The Moment Between, we meet Abigail Bennett, a successful accountant who lives in Florida. A tragedy rips apart her fragile life and sends her on a mission to exact revenge. Someone has to pay for what’s happened. And it must be either Abigail or a man named Tyler Kamp.
As Abigail tracks Tyler to Canada, the reader gets bits and pieces of the whole story through glimpses into Abigail’s childhood and brief scenes from the tragedy itself. This book is filled with characters as real as your neighbors. You fall into their world, enraptured by what’s taken place and how it all came to be. Nicole Baart weaves a haunting story that keeps you riveted as you hope for Abigail to surrender her heart to forgiveness with each turn of the page, almost praying that she won’t do as she plans.
I liked this book, though it’s not the kind I usually read. I tend to love general market, action-adventure stories over the slow paced, literary type. But this book was far from boring. Nicole Baart built tension into every scene, and that’s what kept me turning the pages, thoroughly enraptured by the story. I recommend this one to readers who love real characters suffering through real-life circumstances. This book will bring tragedy right up in your face and cause you to take a good look. But it will also remind you that no sin is ever beyond forgiveness.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Christy Lockstein (Oconto Falls, WIsconsin), May 12, 2009
The Moment Between by Nicole Baart is a haunting and poignant elegy from one sister to another. Abigail Bennett has spent much of her life trying to become her own person outside of the ties of her dysfunctional family. Bi-polar sister Hailey has been the center around which the family orbited, leaving little attention or affection for Abigail. Her attempts to flee their reach resulted in a suicide attempt by Hailey and then the death of their mother. Abigail's response is to retreat into a life without dreams or hopes lived simply in the mundane day to day. Hailey pulls Abigail back into her orbit one final time with her suicide, but this time Abigail is the one spiraling out of control. She abandons her controlled and planned existence to track down the other person she feels is responsible for Hailey's death: Tyler Kamp. The search for Tyler takes her far out of her comfort zone and forces her to not only face her past, but her future as well. Baart writes lyrically and beautifully. The writing at the beginning of the story has a certain distance keeping the reader at arm's length, much like Abigail has kept life. But as cracks appear in her exterior, the writing warms up and becomes stronger, more passionate, pulling the reader deeply into the story. Baart raises many questions: who has the right of vengeance, how responsible are we for the actions of others, what does true love look like? It's a perfect story for book clubs and will keep readers thinking about the ending long after the cover is closed.
4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Sally (Pembroke Pines, FL), May 12, 2009
Talk about impaired family living! Two sisters, one with a mental illness, plus a dysfunctional family equals a suicide and one sister on a quest to confront the guilty party. Abigail, firstborn, expert at pushing painful things down deep, appears to flourish on the outside. Hailey, the baby, stunningly beautiful, controls her world and its inhabitants by temper tantrums. Melody, definitely not Mom of the year, hides away when problems arise, and Lou, twisted in his love for one of his daughters, withholds love from the other.
The story is told in the third person voice of Abigail, with flashbacks to her childhood. The day she finds her sister dead from self-infliction wounds is interspersed throughout and printed in italics. Descriptive, flowery writing comprises half of the novel, and I wish it were reduced. The dialogue is excellent.
Many references are made to Catholicism and the beliefs of Catholics.
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