In Between: Art, meditation, Buddhism, martial arts, syndicated crime

In Between by R.A. MacAvoy

In Between is a novella by R.A. MacAvoy about Ewen Young, a Chinese-American painter who early in the story is held up by three gangsters — a threat to his uncle who apparently is behind on some gambling debts. Ewen is a fascinating character who seems to have some latent psychic powers… something that becomes more and more apparent as the story develops.

In Between is one of those novellas that feels and reads like a really tightly compressed novel (as opposed to, say, a stretched-out short story). The plot moves along very quickly, to the point where it sometimes feels rushed. Some characters are sketched rather than drawn in detail, and some of their backstories are barely hinted at. The novella consists of many very short scenes, often just 1 or 2 pages, and touches on a wide range of themes — art, meditation, Buddhism, martial arts, and syndicated crime — which reinforces the feeling that some of this material could have been developed in more depth in a full-length novel. There’s a lot left to be read between the lines here.

As a newcomer to the works of R.A. MacAvoy, I enjoyed In Between, mainly because of Ewen, who deserves a full novel, but also because of the subtle spirituality of the story. At about 100 pages, this is a quick, enjoyable read that hopefully will be the base for a full-length novel in the future.