The Light Between Us by Katie Khan #BookReview #BlogTour


A classic “will they, won’t they?” love story - with a twist...
The brilliant new novel from the author of HOLD BACK THE STARS
Thea and Isaac were once close, but they’ve grown apart.
Thea works tirelessly, convinced that she can prove everyone around her wrong - convinced she can prove that time travel is possible. But when her latest attempt goes awry, she finds herself picking up the phone and calling her old friend.
Isaac is in New York - it’s the middle of the night, but when he sees who’s calling him, he cannot ignore his phone. At Thea’s request, he travels home, determined to help her in her hour of need.
But neither of them are prepared for what they will discover when he gets there.
The Light Between Us is a story of second chances and time travel. It begs the dangerous question that we all ask ourselves - what could have been?

It's my pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for The Light Between Us by Katie Khan today. Many thanks to the author, publisher and Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me and for my advance copy of the novel.
I was drawn to The Light Between Us as soon as I set eyes on that beautiful cover and having read the book I can confirm that it's just the perfect choice for this touching and unusual love story. Thea and Isaac become friends at Oxford University but have drifted apart over the past few years. Isaac believes Thea has become too single minded to the point of obsession while she resents what she perceives as his lack of belief in her work. She fervently believes she can prove time travel is possible but after the University refused to allow her to write her PhD on time travel, she has spent the past eight years carrying out her own research. She's now at the point where she has to take what could be a personally and professionally dangerous next step if she is ever to prove her theory.  There is a lot of Physics in the book and it is necessarily complicated  - these are advanced concepts, after all -  but thankfully complex scientific  theories are explained to Isaac in terms which most lay people will be able to understand.
The idea of time travel being possible is fascinating and the relationship between Isaac and Thea is utterly compelling but this is also a book about the importance of friendship. Though Thea endured a tragic event in her childhood, she has been fortunate to have found a group of independent, strong women who are always there for each other. I loved all characters in The Light Between Us; Thea is the driving force, she is highly intelligent but her determination to be right has meant she has neglected the other areas of her life and she struggles to open up emotionally. When Isaac returns to Thea's life it's not as a white knight, there to save the day but as a concerned friend who respects the superior knowledge of others and just wants to help. Ayo, Urvisha and Rosy are forthright, brilliant women, perhaps best summed up through Ayo's description of the four of them;
'A crazy genius, a sarcastic hacker, an upper-class lady, and a Naija queen? Sounds like a good team to me,' Ayo says haughtily as they cross the three stepping stones leading to the barn. 'Strong. Diverse. Different.'
After one experiment has an unexpected result, the friends are forced to work to their strengths and Thea finds herself paired with Isaac once more after he makes a startling discovery. There is such a lyrical artistry to the writing in The Light Between Us, I loved how it juxtaposes science fiction with art, with Barbara Hepworth's sculpture, Stringed Figure (Curlew) being particularly significant. There's an almost palpable sense of longing in the book with its poignant exploration of loving the right person at the wrong time. If I'm being really picky, I was slightly disappointed that the storyline regarding the historical discoveries was perhaps sacrificed a little for the sci-fi exposition but this is a minor quibble because there are some resulting scenes which are just breathtakingly beautiful.
The Light Between Us is an intriguing, funny, romantic and intelligent novel which thoughtfully examines the theories behind space-time and the risk of changing too much should time travel be possible. There are parts which are achingly sad but this ambitious, bittersweet novel really tells a universal human truth and is a captivating paean to the power of friendship and love.

The Light Between Us is published by Doubleday/Transworld on 9th August 2018 and can be purchased here. Don't miss the other stops on the blog tour, details are below.


About the Author
Katie Khan has spent 10 years working in online editorial in the film industry, including 4 years as Head of Digital at Paramount Pictures. She joined Warner Bros. in 2017 to work on a major film production. Her first book, Hold Back the Stars, is being adapted into a film by the producers of Stranger Things.
She is a graduate of the acclaimed Faber Academy writing course. Katie lives in London with her boyfriend and rescue cat Artie.
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Comments

  1. Thanks for the amazing Blog Tour support Karen x

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