I have died every day waiting for you: a "The Love That Split the World" review

Whenever I go back through an author's catalog after reading one of their recent books, it feels like time-traveling. Writers evolve as their career continues, so it's interesting to see what elements they've held onto for their careers and what they've decided to only touch upon once.

For Emily Henry, she has only two novels published. I read A Million Junes last year and really enjoyed it, but I was curious and a little hesitant about her debut. After all, YA debuts usually prove to be ambitious. Whether in writing, character arcs, or discussions on several different topics that are useful to the plot in some way, some of them can feel like they're overcompensating. While Henry's second book had some of that feeling, it made everything work out and still felt compelling and gripping. Also, she made the romance adorable and had a great female friendship, which are elements in YA that still seem to be somewhat rare. With that in mind, I went in feeling a little lighter.

When I finished reading The Love That Split the World, I was absolutely captivated. Henry is a marvelous writer, crafting passages that enfold the reader in lush descriptions and poignant feelings that cut deep. It sells the frantic and dreamy nature of this story, a girl falling in love with a boy who may not belong in her world, a world slowly beginning to fracture with hallucinations. It's funny and contains some great sarcasm that rarely failed to make me laugh. It holds a great depth in its fantastical elements that show how well-thought out it is. But I don't think this is as strong as A Million Junes for a few reasons. Sometimes the jokes rub the wrong way. Sometimes the book feels a little slow, taking its time to give life to the world but with no payoff. Sometimes the drama within relationships can get exhausting when it's the same beat over and over again. Sometimes the jargon involving the fantastical elements is confusing. Sometimes Natalie's biracial background feels a little off and perhaps not utilized correctly. But at the end of the day, this YA debut is still something to look into if experimentation is your thing. The Love That Split the World is relatable and out of this world with its blend of realistic fiction, sci-fi, and romance.

Natalie Cleary has always been haunted. Growing up, she would wake up in the middle of the night to see terrible creatures and hallucinations and be terrified at what they held. Only one hallucination gave her comfort, an elderly woman she lovingly referred to as Grandmother, who told her First Nation Native American stories every night. But after EMDR treatment, Grandmother stopped visiting, and Natalie felt lost and like she was pretending to be a person that didn’t feel real anymore. She left dance, broke up with her boyfriend, and became set on going to Brown University in Rhode Island. But Grandmother returns right as Natalie’s senior year comes to a close, telling a story that Natalie knows very well: The Woman Who Fell From the Sky. Alongside that, Grandmother warns Natalie that she has three months to save a boy and meet Alice Chan, who will help guide her through...something. Natalie, confused, decides to investigate, keeping her best friend close by, trying not to ignite the hostile fire rising between her and her ex, and falling in love with a boy named Beau who seems to belong to another Union, Nebraska Natalie hallucinates, one where Natalie’s front door is green and the buffalo run free. Is Beau the boy Grandmother had the prophecy about? Could it be her ex or her younger brother or dad? Why are her hallucinations increasing? What does this all mean?

Henry’s writing throughout this tale is simply breathtaking. Sometimes it gets recursive with repeated similes and statements about the conflict, but it’s vivid and full of lovely descriptions. Whether it’s through the sights of Union, the emotions the characters feel, or dialogue, everything comes together so well. It’s the kind of book you feel happening right in front of you. I could see the beautiful country ground of Union, feel Natalie’s insecurities, and laugh at all of the snark exchanged between Natalie and company. I couldn’t put it down and had to know more about what was going on.

The characters are great here as well. Natalie has Henry’s signature dry humor but also a lot more emotional catharsis, which was great. I really liked her struggle to figure out how to belong somewhere, because even know she was considered one of the most popular girls at school, her adoption and ethnicity as half Native-American made her feel unwanted. She also had great and complex relationships with everyone in this book: Beau, her gentle and strong love interest with a thick Southern accent and a penchant for cheap whiskey, Matt, her ex-boyfriend who still cared for her after their break-up but became a person capable of assault when he drank, Megan, her best friend who believed in a higher power and was always there to talk, even while at a college training camp, Rachel, the mean girl who actually had a passionate and loving heart underneath her cold exterior, Alice, a psychologist at Northern Kentucky University who was both helpful and prickly with Natalie, Natalie’s family, her overly concerned mother and tender dad and charismatic twin siblings, and Grandmother, the wise deity who had so much knowledge about Natalie’s world. They all added something to the colorful ensemble cast, and Henry made sure all of them got developed, even if it was just a little.

But I did find redundancy when it came to Natalie’s relationships with the boys. With Beau, it came with the whole “not being in the same place when they wanted to” thing and trying to figure out a way for their relationship to work. With Matt, Natalie constantly wanted them to remain friends but couldn’t stand the way he would cling onto her, but Matt wanted her back and couldn’t understand why she was pushing him out. These conflicts were drawn out throughout most of the interactions, and although I understood why, they weren’t my favorite parts. Also, the way Natalie’s heritage is presented felt like it was moving the plot along. When the stories are revealed to reflect Natalie’s own experiences, it’s very crafty. But at the same time, if all the stories add to the plot is a way for Beau and Natalie to brave all and end up together, that’s a little problematic. But I understand Henry tried her best to use the stories and culture respectfully, even if I see what other reviewers brought up in their own pieces regarding this debut.

Lastly, the sci-fi elements are both fascinating and confusing. Henry puts a lot of detail into the hallucinations Natalie has that turn out not to be that way. It’s cool to see the worlds Beau and Natalie live in unspool in different ways and to see people both recognizable and not. Although I like Henry’s self-acknowledgment through her characters that it’s hard to understand at times, the whole idea of it flew over my head several times because I couldn’t comprehend some of the details. But it’s cool to imagine, and it makes me look forward to whatever Henry decides to explore next.

That’s why I’m walking away from The Love That Split the World with excitement. With its beautiful writing, deep characters, and intricate genre-blending, it definitely makes a fascinating read despite its flaws. While I do think A Million Junes is a better book, Henry is great at her craft and I know she will continue penning great novels in the future.