Jessica Daniliuk Reviews “Between Heaven & 42nd and Broadway” Michael Caissie

Jessica is a recent Creative Writing graduate from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Through her studies she reconnected with the love of books she had as a child and is now thrilled to be involved in the publishing industry. When she’s not reading or writing you may find her playing board games, hanging out with her friend’s pets, or eating tiramisu.

“Between Heaven & 42nd and Broadway” by Michael Caissie gives a unique and at times terrifying look into Manhattan in the late 1970’s. The novel introduces a lot of rich history about the location while being grounded in the first hand story of a man named Paul. The different challenges Paul faces are akin to real problems seen in this time period, and through his struggles the reader is able to see what it was really like in New York. Caissie tells Paul’s story while painting a more general landscape of the setting. One of the richest parts of the novel has to be the setting. As a reader I found myself fully immersed in the time and even though I have been to New York recently, I was able to create an entirely new picture in my head.  

Along with the setting, I was also impressed by the characters. The story is in third person but also dives deep into the main character Paul’s internal life. As I read I began to understand him and his reasoning behind each decision. Throughout the novel, the reader is introduced to many dynamic and flawed characters which I find refreshing. The author never tries to get the reader on a certain character’s side, instead you just watch their actions, even if you don’t agree with it. It speaks to the message that life is not just black and white; at times we live in the gray. The characters felt more real and in turn strengthened the setting. 

Although the story was rich with history I did find that some of the historical inserts took me away from the original plot and I was confused when I returned. This only happened a few times, but when the exposition was done it did take me out of the story for a moment. It is also important to note that there are graphic scenes surrounding hard topics such as sexual assault, violence, and drug use. During certain scenes, I found myself having to pause for a second before continuing reading. This is a testament to how great the description was from the author, but I will caution that there are some intense scenes that may not be suitable for all viewers. 

This is definitely an adult novel. If you are interested in history I think this is a great book to learn more about what happened behind the scenes in Manhattan in the 1970’s. I did leave this experience feeling like I learned something. Overall, this novel did leave an impact on me even though it was less than 150 pages.