Before I start my review, can we just appreciate this cover? It’s gorgeous! Anyway, I’ve wanted to read this book for a very long time & I’m glad I did finally pick it up… but I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it – even weeks after finishing it.

This book focuses strongly on multiple characters struggling with mental health issues
& scenes involve self-harm & attempted suicide.

I read half this book over a few days & then read the second half of the book in one sitting & I definitely think I got a lot more out of the book in my final sitting because I was able to get really into the layers that made up the story. When you first start reading The Place Between Breaths you take everything at face value – as you do with any book – but as you get further into the book you start to realise that it isn’t what you first thought & that author An Na has created a complex & emotional maze for her readers to decipher.

That said, at times the plot felt jumpy & I had to go back & reread things to figure out whether I was reading it wrong, or whether I was actually interpreting it how the author intended me to. But, the way The Place Between Breaths was written was very clever & it definitely helped me to understand the mind of a schizophrenic better – as long as the representation is accurate; unfortunately, I can’t find much online about An Na so I can’t say what her experience of schizophrenia is, which is a shame.

This book was on my to-buy list for a very long time & I ended up receiving it after winning a Book Depository giveaway on Twitter – & I am very pleased I read it because I did enjoy it, but I’m still struggling to decide exactly how I felt about it because the book was just a massive labyrinth & I’m still finding it hard to get my head around the complexities of the story. I do recommend it though… I think?

This review hasn’t told you anything about the plot at all & I apologise… but, you can order the book using the links below: if you use the Amazon or Book Depository links to make a purchase I will receive a small fee at no cost to you so please consider doing so.
Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Book Depository | Wordery

Unfortunately, this book is not available on Audible.