📚 BOOK REVIEW: THE IN-BETWEEN BY HARDLEY VARHOS
I'M AN OPEN BOOK
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I'M AN OPEN BOOK 📖
On a recent stroll at Barnes and Noble I stumbled upon the Book “The In-Between” by Hadley Varhos, R.N. It’s not often that I feel THIS passionate about a book or any piece of media - therefore, I felt it needed a permanent place on the blog. 😌
Let me start by saying this…
1) I’m hugely into non-fiction. I LOVE reading about the lives of others, the innerworkings of their success stories and most importantly, what shaped their experiences to get them to where they are today. If this sounds like you - I also recommend the podcast “Second Life” by Hillary Kerr.
2) I’m wildly fascinated by death and the afterlife. I’m not religious but have always believed in energy and how our “being” continues on after we are no longer physically present. Fun fact: I wanted to be a mortician or medical examiner my whole life. Sometimes I regret not exploring that career path.
Now without getting too “woo-woo” I want to touch on the premise of this book and why I personally feel it to be so important. ⤵️
This book is rather simple. Each chapter recounts a different patient of hospice nurse, Hadley Varhos R.N. The chapters dive into the imperfect relationships she built with each family/patient and sheds light on the discomfort surrounding the unknowns towards the end of our life.
➡️ What I find most important about this book is my shift in perspective on several topics. As cliche as it sounds, any inconveniences or minor issues that I was experiencing prior to reading this book washed away after gaining a clearer understanding of the day to day of a hospice nurse. More importantly, I was moved by the similar experiences of each patient Hadley shared and how vulnerable they all became in their final days of life. It’s a level of vulnerability I wish we all shared every day and not just when we realize our clock is ticking.
As someone who perpetually struggles with sharing my emotions and worries about inconveniencing others with my hardships, it was heartwarming to know that people like Hadley exist. It gave me hope that being vulnerable is the gateway to meaningful relationships and for that I am grateful.
On the flip side, I also feel like we don’t talk about the end of our life enough. My whole life I have felt it to be taboo to ask about anything surrounding death, dying, what people believe to happen next and how I want to be cared for when my time is almost out.
This book does a beautiful job at normalizing the experience of dying, sheds light on an unpopular profession and most importantly gives perspective to how precious life truly is. It’s an easy read but if I’m being honest, I dragged it out as long as possible because I loved how I felt after each chapter. I had a renewed sense of purpose, a brighter outlook on life and wanted to make the most of my day. I have a feeling you will too!
I’m adding the link to the book below. Please note this is an Amazon Affiliate link and I make a small commission off of every purchase.
The In-Between by Hadley Varhos, R.N. | Amazon | $16 Hardcover
If you have similar interests surrounding death or the afterlife, I think you may enjoy the book “Will my cat eat my eyeballs?” by Caitlin Doughty. Similar to the In-Between, each chapter is dedicated to addressing taboo questions surrounding death (from the perspective of a medical examiner). If you enjoy that one - she has two other books that are equally as interesting.
Lastly- if you are a reader and want to connect on Goodreads, see my link here! I have also linked some of my favorite books on Amazon here.
I would love to know.. what you’re currently reading?! 🤓
If you choose to read this book, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
I have no doubt you will find it equally as moving and beautiful.
XOXOX
Reagan Baylee 🩷
