Books › The gap of time
The gap of time
304 pages
A stormy, modern reimagining of a classic tale that plunges into the destructive depths of jealousy before reaching for the redemptive power of love.
What it feels like
This steady, emotionally charged novel reimagines a classic theatrical drama, grounding its timeless themes of ruin and forgiveness in a distinctly modern landscape. The narrative moves from the tense, post-financial crisis atmosphere of London to a storm-ravaged American city, mirroring the internal turbulence of its characters. Readers are immersed in a stormy, intense mood where the destructive fallout of jealousy shatters family bonds, particularly between fathers and daughters. Yet, the emotional arc bends toward hope, guiding the reader through the pain of exile toward the healing, redemptive power of love. It is a perfect fit for readers who devour contemporary family dramas that carry the heavy, dramatic weight of classic storytelling, offering a journey from bitter fracture to hard-won grace.
- Mood
- stormy
- emotionally charged
- tense
- hopeful
- Tone
- dramatic
- intense
- redemptive
- modern
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- destructive jealousy · redemptive love · father-daughter bonds · the weight of exile · family fracture and forgiveness
- The writing
- A contemporary, dramatic reimagining that grounds classic theatrical intensity in modern financial and storm-ravaged landscapes.
- The arc
- Moves from the intense, destructive fallout of jealousy and exile toward a hard-won space of forgiveness and redemptive love.
- Who it's for
- Readers who appreciate emotionally intense family dramas and modern updates of classic stories of ruin and redemption.
Content notes
- jealousy
- family fracture
- exile
About the book
A modern retelling of Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale" moves from London after the 2008 financial crisis to the storm-ravaged American city of New Bohemia, in a story of the destructive effect of jealousy and the redemptive power of love.
Description from Open Library.
Books like The gap of time
See why they match
Winter's TaleWilliam ShakespeareA fractured fairy tale that breaks your heart with sudden cruelty before slowly mending it with time, nature, and a touch of magic.
WeightJeanette WintersonA visionary and intimate reimagining of ancient myth that weighs the heavy burdens of choice and coercion.
WinterAli SmithA surreal, fiercely intelligent, and ultimately tender exploration of a fractured family trapped together during a bleak cultural winter.
Oranges Are Not the Only FruitJeanette WintersonA fiercely witty, myth-infused rebellion against the suffocating confines of religious fundamentalism and compulsory heterosexuality.
DisobedienceNaomi AldermanA sharp, intimate exploration of the collision between queer desire, personal freedom, and the suffocating embrace of a devout community.
The Child in TimeIan McEwanAn eloquent and devastating exploration of a marriage fractured by unimaginable loss, slowly winding its way back toward hope.