The Space Between Here & Now by Sarah Suk

The theme of ‘coming-of-age’ pretty much describes the Young Adult genre. But in The Space Between Here and Now, author Sarah Suk, expresses Aimee’s ‘coming of age’ through finding her identity in both culture and disability. I really like how Aimee has a memory of this cute tattoo boy from her childhood in Korea, and how this boy and his father is connected to Aimee’s father. The scene where Aimee has a conversation with her grandmother is so harsh that my little reader heart just felt impaled by the devastation. I think Aimee’s diagnosis of Sensory Time Warp Syndrome (STWS) is an analogy for depression or any chronic illness that episodically takes you out of society (but maybe I’m projecting ;)) This book would definitely open up discussions with teen readers. This novel is one of my favourite reads of the year.