Scriptwriter Ben meets actress Tatum while she is working in a bar. They get married and have a son called Joey. But their happy-ever-after is shadowed by the pair’s family issues; Ben’s previous girlfriend, Amanda; and the fact that Tatum’s star rises as Ben increasingly feels dissatisfied with his career.
Told with Tatum’s narrative going forward in time, and Ben’s in reverse (a familiar device to those who have seen The Last Five Years movie with Anna Kendrick), this is an ambitious, evocative story which reveals both perspectives without being too repetitive. With the book starting when their relationship is over, readers are left wondering can they find their way back to one another? It may not be an easy read due to the switching timeline and point-of-views but it is a well worth the effort.
Between Me and You, by Allison Winn Scotch, is a story of falling in and out of love, told from two perspectives - one rewinding history, one moving it forward. The summary says: "When their paths first cross, Ben Livingston is a fledgling screenwriter on the brink of success; Tatum Connelly is a struggling actress tending bar in a New York City dive. They fall in love, they marry, they become parents, and they think only of the future. But as the years go by, Tatum's stardom rises while Ben's fades. In a marriage that bears the fallout of ambition and fame, Ben and Tatum are at a crossroads. Now all they can do is think back.
A life of passion, joy, tragedy, and loss - once shared - becomes one as shifting and unpredictable as a memory. As the pieces of their past come together, as they explore the ways love can bend and break, Ben and Tatum come to see how it all went wrong- and wonder what they can do now to make it all right." Between Me and You is out in January 2018.