Thursday, October 4, 2012

Apocalypsies Love! Book Review: Through to You by Emily Hainsworth



Apocalypsies Love is all about me telling you what I loved about a 2012 debut book written by one of the amazing Apocalypsies. I also chat with the author to gain insight into their very favorite parts of their creation.

Today I'm featuring THROUGH TO YOU, an intriguing novel about parallel worlds by Emily Hainsworth that is definitely going to make my end of the year favorites list.



THROUGH TO YOU is the story of Cam, a high school boy who is crippled with grief over the loss of his girlfriend Viv. One day Cam meets Nina - a girl who claims to come from a parallel world where Viv is alive.  Cam is ecstatic - here's his chance to be with his one true love again - but Nina warns him away from this Viv. Why?

There is so much I love about this novel. It's fresh, genre-bending, thoughtful and completely immersive. We've all wondered at times how our lives might be different if we'd made slightly different choices (a la SLIDING DOORS or the fabulous Lionel Shriver novel THE POST BIRTHDAY WORLD), and Hainsworth deftly illustrates the way choices can profoundly shape our identities. 

As Kelly Jensen of STACKED points out in her review, THROUGH TO YOU explores some of the same themes as my novel, LEVEL 2 (may also be a reason why I love it so much) and although they are completely different books, they feel like good companions. This is one I'll reread for years to come.

And now, let's chat with Emily!

What is your favorite scene in the book?
I think the final scene is my favorite. I had it in my head from the first day I started writing Through To You, and when I finally got to write it, it just seemed right. I can't describe it without spoiling, though!

What is your favorite line in the book?
I have a few that I really love, but I'll go with this one: "Tomorrow is nothing after two months of never again."

What setting was most fun to write?
Hands-down the street corner where Cam finds a portal to the parallel world. The setting starts out as nothing more than a grungy sidewalk until he locates and starts to move through the green light into the other world. I loved writing what it was like for Cam inside that light.

Who is your favorite supporting character - one you could see getting a spin-off book - and why?
I loved writing Viv. It was tricky because there are two versions of her and you never actually get to meet one of them--you only learn about her through Cam's memories, which can be biased--but she had such a vibrant personality from the first moment. Every time she came on the page, I discovered more about her. I'm not sure she will ever see a spin-off book, but I guess you never know!

What has been your favorite part of your publishing journey so far?
My favorite part ever happened today--my book came out and is IN stores everywhere! Some people may love it, some might not, but the fact that anyone will now be able to read, form opinions on, and discuss the book I wrote is just surreal in the best kind of way.

Thanks Emily!

THROUGH TO YOU came out this week in hardcover. Find out more about it at the author's website.

FTC disclosure: e-Galley via Edelweiss

2 comments:

estetik said...

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Christina said...

I really liked this book, too, Lenore!

Viv's character was fascinating. I love that we can't be sure whether the original Viv was like that or not. Very cool.