The Love That Split the World

Henry debuts with an intriguing story of two lovestruck teenagers who appear to live in different versions of the same world. Natalie Cleary is about to finish high school, attend Brown University, and leave her small Kentucky town (and her complicated ex-boyfriend) for good. However, her visions—middle-of-the-night ones that involve a wise, storytelling woman she calls Grandmother—are now occurring during the day and revealing glimpses of a different town and a gorgeous stranger named Beau. With the deadline in Grandmother’s last ominous warning looming (“Three months to save him”), Natalie hopes that Beau can help her solve the mysteries of Grandmother’s vague words and of their separate worlds. Henry’s story captivates, both as a romance and as an imaginative rethinking of time and space. The relationship between Beau and Natalie sizzles while also reflecting the innocence of first love, and the unfolding mystery of their changing realities is enough to keep readers turning pages. The complicated final explanation may require rereading, but Henry delivers a story with depth, originality, and complexity. Ages 12–up. Agent: Lana Popovic, Chalberg & Sussman. (Jan.) [em] [/em]