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The World Before Us
The World Before Us: A Novel | Aislinn Hunter
In the tradition of A. S. Byatt's Possession, a hauntingly poignant novel about madness, loss, and the ties that bind our past to our present Deep in the woods of northern England, somewhere between a dilapidated estate and an abandoned Victorian asylum, fifteen-year-old Jane Standen lived through a nightmare. She was babysitting a sweet young girl named Lily, and in one fleeting moment, lost her. The little girl was never found, leaving her family and Jane devastated. Twenty years later, Jane is an archivist at a small London museum that is about to close for lack of funding. As a final research project--an endeavor inspired in part by her painful past--Jane surveys the archives for information related to another missing person: a woman who disappeared over one hundred years ago in the same woods where Lily was lost. As Jane pieces moments in history together, a portrait of a fascinating group of people starts to unfurl. Inexplicably tied to the mysterious disappearance of long ago, Jane finds tender details of their lives at the country estate and in the asylum that are linked to her own heartbroken world, and their story from all those years ago may now help Jane find a way to move on. In riveting, beautiful prose, The World Before Us explores the powerful notion that history is a closely connected part of us--kept alive by the resonance of our daily choices--reminding us of the possibility that we are less alone than we might think.From the Hardcover edition.
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RavenclawPrincess913
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vlwelser
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Pickpick

This has been on my TBR shelf for way too long. I'm glad I finally got through it.

Pooh has been holding down the fort in my reading nook. He wanted to say hi.

#ARC #goodreads

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ScarySandy
Mehso-so

Not my favorite unfortunately

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Hannah_11
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Mehso-so

I never like giving bad reviews.. I really enjoyed reading this. It‘s such a unique narrative and I became immersed in the characters of the book. Which made the ending even more of a disappointment. Great storytelling. Just not such a great story!

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Lindy
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Heard Aislinn Hunter talk about the thingness of things at a Canadian Literature Centre event at the University of Alberta today. She read excerpts from her writings to illustrate her points. It was so much more interesting than a typical author reading event!

Lacythebookworm This author is new to me. The book you tagged is definitely in my wheelhouse 😊 7y
Lindy @Lacythebookworm I attended the event with a friend who raved about the book. Now I want to read it too. 7y
40 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Chewyauthor
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Stumbled across this bookstore today 😍 #booksbooksbooks #youcanttakemeanywhere #love #litsynewbie #bookaddict

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jkcronin
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About to start this one - I've heard good things about it!

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jkcronin
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My first Litsy post and the latest additions to my library. Looking forward to reading these and getting to know the Litsy community.

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Christy2318
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"But history is tricky. Jane thinks it is a buffer, a static place that sits obediently between now and then--something she can pass through...But we know she is wrong and we feel bad about that. History is shifty; it looks out for itself, moves when you least expect it."

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AEBowenPhD
Pickpick

I loved this book! It arrived in my life at exactly the right moment and really spoke to me. It's all about history and memory.