The Spaces Between Us

May 15, 2019
A brilliant, frustrated girl seeks connection and freedom beyond her claustrophobic hometown. Serena Velasco knows there's something rotten in the state of Colchis, the abandoned factory town that her uncle describes as "the burned-over cinder of the American Dream." She adopts her late father's communist philosophies and Red Army cap as shields to keep herself loftily separate from a community that has never welcomed or understood her--and that she does not wish to welcome or understand either. Her only friend is talented dancer Melody Grimshaw, a fellow social pariah who comes from the poorest family in town. When Serena's mother becomes the new principal, Serena and Melody think they can use that leverage to achieve the goals that will get them out of Colchis, but chasing their dreams proves more complicated, isolating, and dangerous than either girl predicted. As the scope of the narrative expands to old-money Maine, a California strip club, and a cross-country hitchhiking trip, the spaces between Serena and the people she loves threaten to grow irreparably wide. All major characters are white. Serena is a stunningly realistic and layered protagonist, brilliant but naïve and projecting a prickly disdain that covers deeper insecurities. Her story unfolds in remarkably sharp, vivid prose, and even the least sympathetic characters are rendered with thoughtful complexity. A girl-centered Catcher in the Rye for the 21st century. (Fiction. 14-adult)

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Starred review from July 1, 2019

Gr 10 Up-Barely surviving the mundanity of small town living, high school seniors and best friends Serena Velasco and Melody Grimshaw are determined to get out. Bored with their surroundings, the pair isolates themselves by holding on to dreams that exist far outside of their run-down factory town. After intentionally failing her Western Civ class, Serena is offered the chance to participate in an independent study; she must examine upward mobility as she observes it in her community, or fail the year. Meanwhile, Grimshaw's dream of becoming a professional dancer seems within her grasp when she makes the cheerleading team. Suddenly embraced by her peers, she gets a taste of what life outside Colchis could be if she can find a job and escape her family's sordid past. Yet, dream-chasing proves to be more than either expected; when Grimshaw's desperation to leave Colchis becomes dangerous, Serena is forced to reckon with who she really is behind the sarcasm and guarded persona. This intense, dark coming-of-age story extends coast to coast as Serena attempts to repair the spaces that have grown between her and the people she loves. From examining the rituals of an American high school to engaging in profound conversations with cross-country truckers, the novel raises the question: Can we move beyond our family and community legacy to achieve more? Beautiful prose emphasizes complex themes of faith, the class system, and personal responsibility. VERDICT With its impeccably developed characters and hard-hitting narrative, this is an essential purchase for teen and new adult collections.-Elise Martinez, Zion-Benton Public Library, IL

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