A Goodreads user asked Leah Raeder:

I just finished reading Unteachable and I'm a bit surprised about the "huge age gap" thing. I loved the quotes pertaining to relationships with an age disparity, I even posted some on my blog. There are 'only'14 years between them, there are couples with a 35 year age gap if not more, but I know it's tabou as he's her teacher. What do you think about age gaps yourself?

Leah Raeder Hi Line. Thanks for your question.

I think one reason people feel it's a "huge" age gap is because Maise is only 18. When you're that young, you have so much ahead of you to experience and so much maturity to grow into. Plus, like you said, Evan being her teacher introduces a power imbalance and exacerbates the age gap. In my mind, though, there's not much imbalance between them. Maise is an old soul who knows what she wants in life, and Evan is young at heart and still searching. They meet somewhere in the middle.

As for what I think of age gaps in romance...it depends on the couple. Any two people can share similar interests, values, goals, etc., which can make them compatible. The problem with large age gaps is more of a generational thing, I think. When you don't share the same cultural references--music, movies, books, historical events, and so on--it can be difficult to communicate with someone. Of course two people like that can still learn from each other, but I'm not sure it makes for a solid romantic relationship.

In Maise and Evan's case, I think 15~ years is just enough to put a slight cultural gap between them, but not an insurmountable one. Especially since their shared passion for film transcends time. Great film is great film, no matter the era.

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