The Time In Between

by Val Chromos

What does it mean to be yourself when your life belongs to two worlds?

William Redgrave is trapped between two realities—one ordinary, one extraordinary—each demanding a version of himself he cannot control. As the boundaries between these worlds begin to blur, he must confront the fragile nature of identity, memory, and desire.

Val Chromos’s psychological speculative novel is a haunting, introspective journey into the human mind, exploring loneliness, the search for meaning, and the delicate quest for wholeness.

296 pages, Paperback

Published August 21, 2025

About the author

Val Chromos is a Romanian-born musician and writer of psychological and speculative fiction. His work explores fractured identities, the tension between inner worlds and outer reality, and the haunting possibility of living more than one life at once. His debut novel, written in English, follows a man caught between two parallel existences, blurring the boundaries of memory, choice, and fate. Outside of writing, Chromos composes and performs music, channeling the same intensity and emotional depth into sound as he does into words.

Reviews

[Gînga-Ignat Mioara-Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What if the life you dreamed at night felt more real than the one you lived by day?" This is the haunting question at the heart of "The time in between" by Val Chromos, a moving work of speculative fiction that follows William, a man divided between two existences.

By day, William struggles with poverty and loneliness, his reality marked by hardship and isolation. But in his dreams, he steps into a life of fulfillment—surrounded by friendship, love, and the sense of purpose he longs for. The novel blurs the boundary between these two worlds, forcing both William and the reader to ask: which life is more real, and which one is worth living?

The author writes with a quiet intensity, weaving a story that is both imaginative and deeply human. Beyond the speculative premise, this is a novel about longing, resilience, and the fragile line between hope and despair. I especially appreciated how the dream world wasn’t presented as mere fantasy, but as a reflection of William’s inner self—his desires, his fears, and his search for meaning.

This book lingers after the final page. It’s a thoughtful, emotional exploration of what it means to live fully, even when life feels incomplete. Fans of speculative fiction with psychological depth—think Inception or Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Lathe of Heaven—will find much to enjoy here.

[Teodor Ignat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Time In Between is one of those novels that lingers in your mind long after you finish it. The dual lives of William Redgrave are portrayed with such subtlety that you can almost feel the weight of his fractured identity. The introduction of the ‘Splitter’ adds a fascinating speculative element without ever overshadowing the deeply human story at the core. I especially loved the dynamic between William and Emily—it gave the book both warmth and urgency. If you enjoy psychological fiction with a metaphysical twist, this is definitely worth reading.