by JP Landolt

I am experiencing melancholy. Instead of trying to push away the feeling, I’ve been leaning into it. I couldn’t say the same thing last summer, though, when I was waiting for The In-Between. I had been following Nurse Hadley on TikTok for a while and when I heard she was writing a book, I had to read it.

I was lucky to get a copy in June 2023 but the moment I started the book, I had to put it down. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t prepared for what I was experiencing emotionally. So, I returned the book so someone else could borrow it. As silly as it sounds, I believe that some books have particular timing. Have you ever encountered a story you thought you were ready for, then you’re surprised by how absolutely NOT ready you were? That was me. It was the wrong time for me and this book. 

Somehow, my somberness led me to listen to this book instead of reading it. Now, I was resolute in the knowledge that I have lost loved ones: I held my father’s hand when he died in hospice. I’ve had cancer a couple times and experienced being close to death. They were all the same things I said to myself last year. However, this time, I also added gentleness in allowing space and time to listen, feel, and process. All this to say, leaning into the various stories of hospice patients has been cathartic. 

Last December, The In-Between was picked to be made into a television series, which the author has been promoting heavily. Hadley’s book and subsequent (and soon-to-be released) TV show has helped her realize one of her many dreams – founding her own hospice house, which will help people navigate their end-of-life preparations. Amidst all this success, she is currently mitigating divorce. All of which makes reading this book more complex, because this book is a memoir. These are Hadley’s experiences with hospice patients and families intertwined with her own growth and familial issues.

If you want to feel something and maybe even have a cry, I invite you to read or listen to this book. If you’re looking for a thoughtful daily devotional, this could be it. I probably feel this way because that was how I paced this book. One story at a time. One hospice case at a time. One lesson at a time. You don’t have to be spiritual or religious or have magical thinking to appreciate what this compilation offers. A peek into the future. A glimpse of what a “good death” looks and feels like. A chance to reconcile what we all must face at some point. Simple, confusing, beautiful, and real because death is all of those things.   

The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life’s Final Moments by Hadley Vladhos is available in print, e-book, and e-audiobook.

JP Landolt is a Children’s Instructor & Research Specialist for the Savage Branch and has been with HCLS since 2006. “Free people read freely” – ALA