Saturday, July 18, 2009

The Space Between by Don Aker


Book Description (taken from the Harper Collins Canada website)

Just dumped by his girlfriend, Jace Antonakos has recorded a proclamation in a notebook his English teacher made him take on his winter vacation to the Mayan Riviera: I’m going to Mexico to get laid. The fact that he’s only days away from turning 18 and still a virgin has Jace spooked, and he figures that Playa del Carmen’s golden beaches draped with equally golden girls should increase his odds of success. On the other hand, the fact that he’s travelling with his mother, his aunt and his nine-year-old autistic brother just about kills that bet. Then he meets Kate, who he thinks might be just the person to help him with his “problem.” If only he knew what to say to her. Nothing new there—no one in his family has been talking much after what happened to his older brother, Stefan. Until now, the no-talking thing has been working for Jace, who has kept a secret from everyone—including himself—for nearly a year. Opening up to someone may be way more than he can handle.

In a story that is by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Don Aker once again captures an actual teenager, wrestles him to the page and compassionately reveals him as a character who is equally smart and stupid about sexuality, sex, telling the truth and hiding the lies. With his incredible high-wire talent for balancing sensitive subjects with sardonic, teen-friendly humour, Aker delivers another brilliant must- read novel.

Browse Inside the book HERE.

MY REVIEW

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book. I read it in about 3 hours today and I once I started I just had to keep going. I love that this book is Canadian and it was fun to read a novel that references so many things from my homeland! The Space Between deals with some intense subject matter and does have some mild profanity in it but I found it easy to overlook. I was brought to tears and found the storyline incredibly touching. The book is geared toward teens but I think most adults could learn quite a bit from it as well. It is well written and makes me want to read more by this author.

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