The Time in Between is a sad book. All the characters are longing for something they can't have, and each of them reacts to this in their own ways. It was heartbreaking to watch these people tirelessly search for something they can't possibly find, because what they want is so abstract that it doesn't exist or only exists in the "time in between". Half of them don't even know what they're looking for yet they feel incomplete without it. The book is constructed around this theme, and sadness seems to permeate through each carefully built sentence, the tone in each line of dialogue.

This was my first David Bergen, and I wasn't disappointed. You would think the depressing content would weigh heavily on the reader, but there is an ease with which he writes that lightens the load. Heavy content, effortless narrative. He's totally mastered this combination, and as a result the eye glides over the text without stumbling.

I'm thinking I'll read The Retreat next, I've heard it's even better.