Thin Space

August 5, 2013
Casella debuts with a moving story about a grieving teen whose search for closure is driven by the potential for, instead of the presence of, the supernatural. Marsh Windsor has spent months in an emotional coma since the car accident that killed his twin brother, Austin; he walks barefoot everywhere in hopes of finding a “thin space” where the living can converse with the dead, according to Celtic belief. Marsh’s focus on thin spaces and refusal to discuss them alienate him from his family, friends, and girlfriend; a new neighbor, Maddie, finally gives him someone to confide in. Maddie joins Marsh on his quest, hoping to meet her deceased father. While Casella seeds the story with enough clues that the plot twists aren’t all that surprising, she nails the emotional core of Marsh’s grief, slowly doling out flashbacks to the events leading up to the accident and creating near-perfect awkward, difficult conversations with family members, Marsh and Austin’s girlfriends, and other students who are equally heartbroken. Ages 12–up. Agent: Deborah Warren, East West Literary Agency.

Starred review from July 1, 2013
A creepy supernatural chiller sets up a gut-punch of desolation and loss. For three months, high school junior Marsh Windsor has been refusing to wear shoes, ignoring schoolwork and friends, and getting into fights. His parents and teachers--even his former girlfriend--tolerate his bizarre behavior as an inability to cope with the car wreck that seriously injured Marsh and killed his twin, Austin. Only the new girl, Maddie, knows that Marsh is seeking a "thin space," a portal between the realms of the living and the dead; and Maddie has her own reasons for abetting his search. Casella's debut is a viscerally raw examination of grief, in which the universal question of adolescence--"who am I?"--becomes "who am I without you?" The spare prose, wherein the bleak New England weather seems more real than the characters vaguely swirling across Marsh's awareness, immerses readers in his ratcheting desperation. His first-person voice throbs with agony, guilt and anger, all felt through a foggy numbness that fails to conceal that Marsh is hiding something crucial. This very unreliability propels a gripping narrative, even though little actually happens. Those who manage to hang on through the devastating climax will immediately turn back to the beginning to catch the clues they missed. Brutal and brilliant. (Paranormal fantasy. 14 & up)

COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-This is a spooky story of the highest order. Twins Austin and Marsh Windsor looked so much alike that they were sometimes mistaken for each other, even by their girlfriends and high school classmates. The night Austin was killed in a car accident, they were on a double date, and Marsh was driving. To deal with his grief, he looks for a "thin space"-a mythic doorway where the living and dead can temporarily pass through into the worlds they left behind. Thin spaces don't come about easily; the same soul must both quicken and die in the same spot in order for an entry spot to be created. A woman had promised to make a thin space with her death, but a new family moves into her house before Marsh can get in and investigate. He hits upon a plan to befriend the new teenage residents, Maddie and Sam. Marsh and Maddie go barefoot through hospital corridors and across snow-covered parking lots, trying to find an entrance to the world of the dead. Throughout the book, the pressures of school and family weigh realistically on the protagonist; his mother needs to be hugged and classes need to be attended, even as he is falling apart with guilt and secrets. It turns out Maddie has a secret of her own. The final plot twist will catch most readers by surprise, making a second reading almost mandatory, to look for missed clues. The story is atmospheric and chilling, with a few four letter words, a bit of romance, and a satisfying ending.-Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.