The Space Between

by Jenn Crowell

In this absorbing new novel, Jenn Crowell plumbs the depths of long-distance love and emotional healing with her trademark lyricism and wit.

Best friends Gloria and Jascha forged a tight bond over their mutual experiences of grief, but kept their mutual attraction at bay out of respect for their late spouses. When Gloria suffers a terrifying medical scare on the first anniversary of her husband's death, however, Jascha makes a huge leap and flies from London to Washington, D.C. to profess his love for her.

Thrilled by his confession, Gloria impulsively invites Jascha to move in with her and her young son. What begins as domestic bliss soon gives way to Jascha's frightening descent into PTSD that will push the couple to the brink of breakup and breakdown. Can they both face their demons before it's too late?

357 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 12, 2017

Reviews

[krdito · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sequel to Crowell's "Necessary Madness," published 20 years ago when Crowell was only 17. I was incredibly impressed with "Necessary Madness," that such a young author could capture the intimacy of young British couple facing a terminal illness and intense grief of the young woman, Gloria, after the death of her artist husband, Bill, to leukemia and start of her journey into single-parenting of their son, Curran.

This book starts one year after Bill's death, with Gloria and Curran now living in the US. Gloria is still struggling with grief, as is her UK-based friend Jascha, who worked with Bill and lost his wife and daughter in a car accident. This book started out strong as you can see these two young adults struggling with their losses. However, I came to find Gloria annoying and very immature (she is in her early 30's). Jascha was very likable and sympathetic, but his loss occurred 5 years ago, and he seemed completely incapable of identifying it or working through it.

All in all, I was less impressed by this book, mainly because Crowell is no longer a teenager, and I expected more from her at this point in her career.

[Annette Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A moving book about the difficult process of moving on following a loss, and the complications of a new romance when your partner has died, The Space Between by Jenn Crowell is something of an emotional roller coaster. I thought the author did a wonderful job of showing how difficult this process can be, not just for the couple involved but also for their wider families. I also thought it was positive that the author had her characters embrace the value of therapy and talking to someone about the issues they faced, and that she tried to reinforce the importance of taking care of your mental health in the same way you would your physical health. I do wish that we as readers were given a little more of the background of the friendship between the characters, it would have made them a little more believable.
I read a review copy courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

[Alisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very lost in this book.....and not in the good sense.

This book jumps right into this relationship between Jascha and Gloria with very few background details. We are thrown into these two friends who suddenly are in love with no build up, no actually ties to the characters yet who remained very one demential for most of the book. I felt as though the story was all over the place while at the same time saying nothing at all.

While both characters are dealing with past trauma which is 1+ year ago for Gloria and 5+ years for Jascha, it felt very odd for most of the story we had to view Gloria going through what seems to be a mental breakdown only to get farther along and *poof* now Jascha is suddenly suffering from PTSD, good grief. If rolling your eyes could be heard, they would be able to hear me from the next city over.

[Paula Pugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Space Between is not an easy read but it is a very worthwhile one. It is a novel that is very hard to put down because the story is deeply engrossing and draws you into the turmoil that the main characters, Nora and Jascha, endure.
Nora and Jascha have always been there for each other but an ocean apart from being emotionally well to survive a relationship. Nora is reeling from the death of her husband from leukemia and Jascha’s family was killed in a car wreck that he still suffers emotionally from. The healing takes place for both of them as they separate intentionally to allow for it to happen, never losing sight of the love that awaits them when the healing is complete.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gloria and Jascha have helped each other out as friends dealing with Gloria's husband's death from leukemia and Jascha's family's death in a car accident. They've finally decided to take their relationship to the next level when Gloria suffers from a mental breakdown and their decision to try continue with the relationship afterwards is further threatened by Jascha's PTSD from the accident. I have no idea what this book is supposed to be. It's far too maudlin to be a romance novel, but it seems too light to be much else. I didn't really connect with it on any level.

[Dawnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gloria and Jascha share a tight bond both dealing with grief. When Gloria suffers from a medical emergency on the first anniversary of her husbands death, Jascha flies to be by her side. Taking their relationship to a new level Jascha moves in with Gloria and her son. Everything is good until Jascha's PTSD kicks in showing Gloria another side of Jascha. This was an emotional look at loss and the heartache of grief. As a widow I could easily relate. This is a sequel. I haven't read the first book.
Dawn Ruby-BookGypsy
Novels N Latte Book Blob
Novels & Latte Book Club
Hudson Valley NY

[Polly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fairly decent book but I didn't really feel that I connected with the characters at any point. I was pretty hooked by the first few chapters of Gloria's breakdown but it got a little too overtly introspective coupled with lovey-doveyness for me as it went on and I didn't feel very invested in the storyline.

I'd still recommend it to people who are interested in the book description, as it does exactly what it says on the tin!

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel lives in heavy and dark topics - mental illness, loss, parenting - yet manages to maintain a lightness that still makes it a good beach read. It was a bit to much of a romance novel for my liking but I thought the author handled the heavier topics well.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release of this book in exchange for an honest review.