A dazzling tale of courage, friendship, and love, A Curious Tale of the In-Between by Lauren DeStefano is a wondrous and beautifully-written story about facing our darkest tragedies.
Pram Bellamy is special—she can talk to ghosts. She doesn’t have too many friends amongst the living, but that’s all right. She has her books, she has her aunts, and she has her best friend, the ghostly Felix.
Then Pram meets Clarence, a boy from school who has also lost a parent and is looking for answers. Together they arrive at the door of the mysterious Lady Savant, who promises to help. But this spiritualist knows the true nature of Pram’s power, and what she has planned is more terrifying than any ghost.
It’s hard at any age to talk about death, and yet in A Curious Tale of the In-Between, DeStefano has found a way to make the subject accessible for her readers (both children and adults, alike). As one of the characters comments, “Death isn’t a punishment. It’s just what comes next.” DeStefano’s writing is so beautiful and elegant as she takes us along on Pram and Clarence’s time together. The story both evokes a time gone by, and yet is just as easily timeless. It’s not the time or place or setting that matters really; and that’s the point, I think. That this story is about the characters and their experiences.
Throughout the story, DeStefano’s characters display incredible courage and love. Pram and Clarence are such a wonderful pair; but so, too, are Prams’ aunts and Clarence’s father; Pram’s ghost-friend Felix. Their emotions give the story a raw honesty that makes the book’s message so much more compelling.
I was swept away by Pram’s world and her gifts, and her extraordinary journey. I was riveted to find out what would happen next, and to witness her growth as a character. If this is a standalone, I am wholly satisfied with what DeStefano has provided. And yet, if this turns out to be a series, and there are more adventures in store for Pram and her companions, I will gladly hop aboard for the ride.
A Curious Tale of the In-Between is in stores September 1st.
Novel Novice 
This book looks trippy. Thank you for the review. I’ll be on the lookout for it.