Eleanor by Jason Gurley

 

 1985. The death of Eleanor's twin sister tears her family apart. Her father blames her mother for the accident. When Eleanor's mother looks at her, she sees only the daughter she lost. Their wounded family crumbles under the weight of their shared grief.

1993. Eleanor is fourteen years old when it happens for the first time... when she walks through an ordinary door at school and finds herself in another world. It happens again and again, but it's only a curiosity until that day at the cliffs. The day when Eleanor dives... and something rips her out of time itself.

And on the other side, someone is waiting for her.

This book melds gorgeous writing with fantasy elements and creates something wholly new. It is a portrait of grief and redemption, and is one of the loveliest reads I’ve picked up this year. 

The story travels back and forth through time, and because two of the characters have the same name it can throw the reader every once in a while, but otherwise it is not as complex to follow as the jumping dates might suggest. There are moments of real heartbreak in this book, so if you are looking for something light to read, this isn’t it. If, instead, you want something that will make you think and will make you feel, then this novel is a wonderful choice.