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The Space Between
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 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.
256 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2007
3 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Don Aker
20 books42 followersBorn in 1955 in Windsor, Nova Scotia, Don Aker grew up in rural Hants County. He later attended Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, where he received his Bachelor of Arts (1976), Bachelor of Education (1977), and Master of Education (1991) degrees. He has been a classroom teacher since 1977, and he currently works as Literacy Mentor for the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board. The father of two daughters, he lives in Middleton, Nova Scotia, with his wife, who is his "first editor."
Don began writing in 1988 after taking a course for language arts teachers at the Martha's Vineyard Summer Writing Workshops in Massachusetts, where educators were encouraged to write along with their students. Since then, he has published 13 books and numerous shorter pieces, consulted on several projects for publishers of educational materials, conducted a variety of workshops on teaching and writing, and given readings across Canada. He is a member of the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS), the Writers' Union of Canada (TWUC), the Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC), The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), the Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Performers (CANSCAIP), and PEN Canada.
Don began writing in 1988 after taking a course for language arts teachers at the Martha's Vineyard Summer Writing Workshops in Massachusetts, where educators were encouraged to write along with their students. Since then, he has published 13 books and numerous shorter pieces, consulted on several projects for publishers of educational materials, conducted a variety of workshops on teaching and writing, and given readings across Canada. He is a member of the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS), the Writers' Union of Canada (TWUC), the Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC), The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), the Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Performers (CANSCAIP), and PEN Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
May 30, 2015
"I'm going to Mexico to get laid."
Well hello there, Jace! Way to introduce yourself.
After reading that first line, I was totally expecting an American Pie style holiday extravaganza. But it is actually quite a poignant and intriguing read.
Jace goes on holiday with his mother, aunt and his younger brother who has a form of autism. They carry a heavy burden with them, which we slowly learn about throughout the novel. And it is a heavy, heavy burden.
So what is at first glance a "boy wants to meet girl" novel, is a book about demons and coming of age. It is written with honesty and humour, and I feel like we really get inside Jace's head.
During his holiday we learn more about his family, their demons, and the demons of the people he meets. And slowly, he starts to let go and open up about what has happened in his past.
And for a novel with that sentence as its first, you would expect him to be chasing the ladies like he's the Stifmeister himself. And obviously he's an almost 18 year old, with the horniness to go with it. But the Stifmeister? Not so much.
So if you want crazy sex stories and holiday adventures, this is not the book for you. But if you want a decent coming of age novel with an interesting adolescent voice, then look no further.
Well hello there, Jace! Way to introduce yourself.
After reading that first line, I was totally expecting an American Pie style holiday extravaganza. But it is actually quite a poignant and intriguing read.
Jace goes on holiday with his mother, aunt and his younger brother who has a form of autism. They carry a heavy burden with them, which we slowly learn about throughout the novel. And it is a heavy, heavy burden.
So what is at first glance a "boy wants to meet girl" novel, is a book about demons and coming of age. It is written with honesty and humour, and I feel like we really get inside Jace's head.
During his holiday we learn more about his family, their demons, and the demons of the people he meets. And slowly, he starts to let go and open up about what has happened in his past.
And for a novel with that sentence as its first, you would expect him to be chasing the ladies like he's the Stifmeister himself. And obviously he's an almost 18 year old, with the horniness to go with it. But the Stifmeister? Not so much.
So if you want crazy sex stories and holiday adventures, this is not the book for you. But if you want a decent coming of age novel with an interesting adolescent voice, then look no further.
November 29, 2008
What a great read. What I loved about it was the honest voice. From the first line (I'm going to Mexico to get laid) I was hooked and I was solidly in Jace's shoes. Everything about this book rings true and the journey Aker takes us on is unexpected and satisfying. A compelling story that on the surface is about a teen wanting to lose his virginity on a holiday in Mexico but underneath it's about so much more than that. I don't want to give it away, so won't say more. Now I'm going to get The First Stone. Don Aker is now one of my favourite authors.
February 5, 2019
Kept me thinking after it was over Absolutely beautiful and heartwarming kept me engaged throughout the entire book. I read it all in one day. As a person with Christian beliefs, I did not think I would be able to read this without feeling annoyed. But it's such a delicate subject was handled so well . I'm impressed and I recommend it to everyone, yes, even Christians😊
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2025
“It's weird how distances across water are hard to judge, how what you think you see may be very different from the way something really is.”
fun summer coming of age book!! what i thought would be just getting into a teenage boy’s head turned into watching him accept and let go of his past along with the demons that his family carries too.
fun summer coming of age book!! what i thought would be just getting into a teenage boy’s head turned into watching him accept and let go of his past along with the demons that his family carries too.
August 1, 2012
At first I thought it started out funny, but it turned quite serious as the book went on. Amazing though, highly recommend it.
February 8, 2013
Ending was a big WTF to me. Not expected at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2014
An awesome coming-of-age novel about secrets and being true to one's self. This is one of those books that I enjoy reading time and again, absolutely awesome!
October 5, 2021
When I placed myself mentally in the presumed mindset of the target readers for this book—teens in high school—it went over better. The story of Jace, a high school senior, coming to terms with personal issues and demons while on vacation in Mexico, has some nice twists and surprises. For a bit I was hoping he was going to link up romantically with Connor, the very macho yet gay hockey player, but that was not to be. (Connor is mysteriously dropped from the story right before the end, which was unsatisfying, but the rest was resolved well.
February 18, 2018
Coming of age novel, Jace being the main character who goes away on a beach vacation with his mom, younger brother with special needs and his aunt. His goal is to lose his virginity on this vacation and although he does meet a girl he likes it doesn't lead to that. But he does become friends with a jock who he thought was a jerk; he shares some of his own personal problems with him and it is reciprocal. The result: Jaces grows up a little.
December 31, 2021
This YA novel tells the story of a teenage boy from Halifax vacationing at a resort in the Riviera Maya. Jace makes new friends and confronts ghosts form the past on his vacation and does a lot of growing up in the process.
May 27, 2023
This book really surprised me. Don't let the description fool ya, the story is so much more than what the description indicates
October 29, 2013
I wasn’t really certain what I wanted this book to be when I picked it up. I’m glad that I didn’t try to fit it into a label, because I realized after reading it that it wouldn’t have gone. The Space Between had excellent plot twists that took the book from being about sex to romance to friendship to loss to everything in between (note the reference to the book title). The complex characters also added realism to what was an already suspenseful plot. I enjoyed exploring the layers that everyone had, even minor characters. Over the course of the book, all the characters changed. Like people in the real world, they became the same yet different. I loved witnessing the subtle transformations that most people usually miss until they realize that their friends are all different. Furthermore, Mexico was an exotic setting that made the plot all the more dramatic. Although the hotel was described as too much of a wonderland, I liked reading about a place foreign to me.
SPOILER ALERT
While all the plot twists took the book to where the author wanted it to go smoothly, the parallelism between Conner and Stephan was too coincidental. Done Aker even pointed out that the odds of meeting two gay hockey players in almost the exact same situations was more unlikely than developing autism. I felt that some of the realism was lost and the message that Aker was trying to convey shone through too obviously. In my opinion, this otherwise touching connection between two characters was made false and cheesy.
Additionally, certain parts of the book were very repetitive. I’m a female, so I don’t know how many erections the average males gets a day, but I certainly didn’t need to know about all of Rafe’s. Once or twice was justifiable as a way of characterizing Rafe and showing readers that he is hormone-driven, but all the other ones were distracting. Also, what was with the ending when Rafe decided to give the Jesus figure to his ex-girlfriend? He hinted that he might still be in love with her, but I personally found their relationship to fulfil a small part of The Space Between. Thus, the last section was rather random to me.
I recommend this book for anyone who has ever wanted something but not known exactly why, or like stories set in Mexico.
SPOILER ALERT
While all the plot twists took the book to where the author wanted it to go smoothly, the parallelism between Conner and Stephan was too coincidental. Done Aker even pointed out that the odds of meeting two gay hockey players in almost the exact same situations was more unlikely than developing autism. I felt that some of the realism was lost and the message that Aker was trying to convey shone through too obviously. In my opinion, this otherwise touching connection between two characters was made false and cheesy.
Additionally, certain parts of the book were very repetitive. I’m a female, so I don’t know how many erections the average males gets a day, but I certainly didn’t need to know about all of Rafe’s. Once or twice was justifiable as a way of characterizing Rafe and showing readers that he is hormone-driven, but all the other ones were distracting. Also, what was with the ending when Rafe decided to give the Jesus figure to his ex-girlfriend? He hinted that he might still be in love with her, but I personally found their relationship to fulfil a small part of The Space Between. Thus, the last section was rather random to me.
I recommend this book for anyone who has ever wanted something but not known exactly why, or like stories set in Mexico.
June 23, 2013
"The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation."
And because I frankly do not care what goes on in someone's bedroom, the book was ruined.
It starts off with "I'm going to Mexico to get laid". And I quite frankly didn't care. So I resigned myself to a long and boring novel where the guy tries to get the girl simply for sex. However because Don Aker is a good author I thought there might be a glimmer of hope.
There was, but one character was gay and didn't want to come out of the closet. Which was another bore for me. I couldn't care less if he was gay or not, and although they outline the social and family repercussions that may happen it didn't interest me.
However the last point was mostly the plot. It really bored me. I quite frankly couldn't care. Be gay if you want, come out of the closet if you want, but don't make me read your indecisiveness.
There were however two subplots that I found really interesting and would have engaged me if they weren't overshadowed by the other two points.
Jace has demons. The particular kind of demons that he has would have interested me a lot. I'm interested on how people function after. I find it so interesting especially if After is triggered by an event like that. Normally I would be pouring in sympathy for the demon, but it just didn't come. I would have been yelling at Jace at the chances of After happening again. I'd have been yelling at him to stop After for happening when it was Before. I would have been so worked up about the subject. I'd have sympathy for Jace because of how he's dealing with After. It just didn't happen though.
It was also very interesting to see Lucas' CDD. I found it a quite interesting topic. However because Lucas had been diagnosed for a while and Jace was used to living like that, the topic wasn't really explored. It would have been interesting though.
Don Aker is a fabulous author. He has the potential, and has created interesting story lines. However because I personally couldn't care less about the first two storylines, it was ruined for me. I understand that there are people who need this kind of book, but I get bored with it.
And because I frankly do not care what goes on in someone's bedroom, the book was ruined.
It starts off with "I'm going to Mexico to get laid". And I quite frankly didn't care. So I resigned myself to a long and boring novel where the guy tries to get the girl simply for sex. However because Don Aker is a good author I thought there might be a glimmer of hope.
There was, but one character was gay and didn't want to come out of the closet. Which was another bore for me. I couldn't care less if he was gay or not, and although they outline the social and family repercussions that may happen it didn't interest me.
However the last point was mostly the plot. It really bored me. I quite frankly couldn't care. Be gay if you want, come out of the closet if you want, but don't make me read your indecisiveness.
There were however two subplots that I found really interesting and would have engaged me if they weren't overshadowed by the other two points.
Jace has demons. The particular kind of demons that he has would have interested me a lot. I'm interested on how people function after. I find it so interesting especially if After is triggered by an event like that. Normally I would be pouring in sympathy for the demon, but it just didn't come. I would have been yelling at Jace at the chances of After happening again. I'd have been yelling at him to stop After for happening when it was Before. I would have been so worked up about the subject. I'd have sympathy for Jace because of how he's dealing with After. It just didn't happen though.
It was also very interesting to see Lucas' CDD. I found it a quite interesting topic. However because Lucas had been diagnosed for a while and Jace was used to living like that, the topic wasn't really explored. It would have been interesting though.
Don Aker is a fabulous author. He has the potential, and has created interesting story lines. However because I personally couldn't care less about the first two storylines, it was ruined for me. I understand that there are people who need this kind of book, but I get bored with it.
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March 30, 2013Reactions: Ok.. Except for Droughtlanders, I'm almost sure that all the White Pine will be mainly in first person. I am kinda freaked out, but I'll get by!
The main character for this novel is Jace. An interesting name eh? Well it's greek and he's on a trip with his aunt, mom and autistic brother to Mexico! Oh! The beaches! The warmth! And as JAce sees it, the girls. The first sentence of this hilarious book is:
I'm going to Mexico to get laid.
Or along those lines.
It's not what you expect but it gets better as the book goes on. This book is more directed at Teens so becareful about some of the things for they may wow you. I found out something before I read the book and I was nervous, every page I thought it would come upon me but it didn't.. until late last night. If I hadn't been so tired, I might have fallen out of bed in laughter. Again this book is about finding your way and for Jace, it's how he'll find his way into manhood.
His main focus is that he's 18 and yet he's still a virgin. One week to get laid, but too many distractions. Luckily he makes some friends so he doesn't go on alone, but with age comes responsability... and knowledge. Knowledge. That can scare you or excite you.
The main character for this novel is Jace. An interesting name eh? Well it's greek and he's on a trip with his aunt, mom and autistic brother to Mexico! Oh! The beaches! The warmth! And as JAce sees it, the girls. The first sentence of this hilarious book is:
I'm going to Mexico to get laid.
Or along those lines.
It's not what you expect but it gets better as the book goes on. This book is more directed at Teens so becareful about some of the things for they may wow you. I found out something before I read the book and I was nervous, every page I thought it would come upon me but it didn't.. until late last night. If I hadn't been so tired, I might have fallen out of bed in laughter. Again this book is about finding your way and for Jace, it's how he'll find his way into manhood.
His main focus is that he's 18 and yet he's still a virgin. One week to get laid, but too many distractions. Luckily he makes some friends so he doesn't go on alone, but with age comes responsability... and knowledge. Knowledge. That can scare you or excite you.
June 18, 2022
2022 reread: When I was in middle school my sister recommended The First Stone by Don Aker and I absolutely fell in love with it. After rereading it in highschool I decided to check out more books by Aker and checked a handful out from the library. After finishing the rest of them I came to The Space Between. I read the back and decided it wasn't the book for me and that I would return it unread. But then I was left with nothing to read so I figured I may as well give it a shot.
And I am so fucking glad I did. A story that starts with something as frivolous as "I'm going to Mexico to get laid" evolves into a story about family, love and the secrets we keep. It became my favourite book then and has maintained that title since. It's much funnier than I remember but when you get to the sad parts, they hit hard. You can very much tell that the book was written in the 2000s from it's references to home phone lines and internet cafes, but that adds to the nostalgia for me. If you know me in person you've probably heard me gush incoherently about this book. It's just really good.
---
This will always be my favourite story.
"But then I kick to the surface too."
And I am so fucking glad I did. A story that starts with something as frivolous as "I'm going to Mexico to get laid" evolves into a story about family, love and the secrets we keep. It became my favourite book then and has maintained that title since. It's much funnier than I remember but when you get to the sad parts, they hit hard. You can very much tell that the book was written in the 2000s from it's references to home phone lines and internet cafes, but that adds to the nostalgia for me. If you know me in person you've probably heard me gush incoherently about this book. It's just really good.
---
This will always be my favourite story.
"But then I kick to the surface too."
September 20, 2008
After his girlfriend dumps him Jace makes a decision: he not only going to celebrate his 18th birthday, he is going to lose his virginity on his family vacation to the Mayan the Mayan Riviera. His plans are complicated by the presence of his mother, aunt and autistic brother, his feelings for his new friend Kate and the secret his family has been keeping.
This book, which was an honour book for the 2008 CLA YA Book of the year shares certain themes with Mistik Lake, particularly in terms of the book's many secrets and strong family relations.
This book, which was an honour book for the 2008 CLA YA Book of the year shares certain themes with Mistik Lake, particularly in terms of the book's many secrets and strong family relations.
October 16, 2012
I really enjoyed this book--good writing, good character development, believable characters & situations. The book starts out pretty dramatically and humourously (first line: "I'm going to Florida to get laid"), but moves past the attempts to bed a girl and gets quite serious and thought-provoking as the novel progresses. The main character reassesses his relationships with family & friends, including his brother's suicide and the discovery that a friend is gay. Great--but potentially volatile!--discussion starters.
July 22, 2016
I read this book a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it! It's funny and relatable, and I personally think for all ages. An added bonus to reading this book was that I re-discovered the author. I read "The First Stone" by Don Aker a few years ago by recommandation from my grade 9 english teacher and I loved it, but never thought of it again today until I went on goodreads and saw that the same author wrote both books. I've gotten a little off topic here, but what I'm getting at is try reading "The First Stone" too :P
August 12, 2009
I think that Don Aker took one of those creative writing classes which teach you to open your book with a bang:
I’m going to Mexico to get laid.
And he does. Well, he has strong intentions. What soon-to-be-turning eighteen year-old Jace doesn’t know is that life has a way of churning up the best intentions, leaving him to sort through what’s left.
Read the rest on my blog: http://eoseventeen.blogspot.com/2009/...
I’m going to Mexico to get laid.
And he does. Well, he has strong intentions. What soon-to-be-turning eighteen year-old Jace doesn’t know is that life has a way of churning up the best intentions, leaving him to sort through what’s left.
Read the rest on my blog: http://eoseventeen.blogspot.com/2009/...
July 21, 2010
Wow!! I'm surprised how much I liked this book. It wasn't really what I expected, but that kinda made me love it more. It has everything I like in a novel. My friend picked this book out for me and I'm really happy I decided to get it. If you're into guy perspective novels, definitely check this one out!
January 29, 2016
Contemporary, truthful. Guy novel. He has the 18 yr old guy character down right. My criticism would be easy enough to guess the 'secrets' troubling several of the characters. The big 'reveal' at the end doesn't pack much of a punch. Graphic description of suicide death when found might make some queasy - not easy to read.
August 8, 2010
The main character is a portrait of the average teenager. In essence, after reading this story for whitepine club I have to admit, it was decent.
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August 5, 2011I recommend Aker's other book "The First Stone" over this one. This wasn't a bad read, but it wasn't as compelling as The First Stone, and I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending.
July 3, 2015
Very Very good book. It shocked me at some parts because it had some very unexpected turns. Also very sad too. If you haven't read it i highly suggest it !
October 11, 2016
I was pleased this didn't turn out to be a typical teen romp along the beach. Some serious topics and difficult subject matter made this a challenging read for any age.
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June 25, 2017I wasn't engaged by the writing or the plot; this was a DNF for me.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews