Hayley Westwood
Thank you to Jess Barret at Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of ꜱᴘᴀᴄᴇʜŐᴘᴘᴇʀ by Helen Fisher
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ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ? ʜᴏᴡ ᴏꜰᴛᴇɴ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʀᴀᴠᴇʟ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɢɪᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ? ᴏꜰᴛᴇɴ? ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ? ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ, ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ꜱᴛᴀʏɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ?
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I enjoyed Spacehopper, and felt it was a lovely story that felt like a real adventure.
It was very easy to read, and I finished the book in just two sittings over a weekend.
The plot was really interesting, and I love the play on the words with the title.
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ᴡᴇ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ꜱᴛᴜꜰꜰ ɪɴ ᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ɪᴍᴘᴏʀᴛᴀɴᴛ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴀɴ ɪʟʟᴜꜱɪᴏɴ. ᴍʏ ᴘᴀɪɴ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜʀᴏᴡɪɴɢ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ꜱᴛᴏɴᴇꜱ ɪꜱ ᴍʏ ᴘᴀɪɴ ᴀᴛ ʟᴏꜱɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ᴅᴀʏꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍʏ ᴅᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀꜱ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀɪɴ ᴏꜰ ᴋɴᴏᴡɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏɴᴇ ᴅᴀʏ ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ꜱᴏ ꜰᴀʀ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ
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I think for any readers who have lost a parent, or in fact any loved one who is close to them, it does make you question what you would do if you found a way to visit the past and see your loved one again.
I had a lot of empathy for the main character Faye, especially her initial avoidance of addressing her grief, as I think this is something that people can do for a long time as a coping mechanism.
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ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴏꜱꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴍʏ ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɪꜱ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴍɪꜱꜱɪɴɢ ᴛᴏᴏᴛʜ: ᴀɴ ᴀʙꜱᴇɴꜱᴇ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ᴀᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴛɪᴍᴇꜱ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴏɴᴇ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ʜɪᴅᴇ ᴀꜱ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀꜱ ɪ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴍʏ ᴍᴏᴜᴛʜ ꜱʜᴜᴛ. ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴏ ɪ ʀᴀʀᴇʟʏ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀ.
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I also liked how there was a focus on the importance of friends and family throughout the story.
Em and Henry, and Louis in particular, are there for Faye when she needs them the most, even if she doesn't fully realise it in the moment.
And it's clear how important her own family unit is, and how much they love each other.
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ᴇᴍ, ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛ ᴇᴍ, ᴡʜᴏ ʜᴀᴅ ᴅɪᴇᴅ ᴛᴇɴ ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ᴀɢᴏ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ꜱʜᴇ ꜰᴜꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ʜᴇɴʀʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜᴇᴅ ʜɪꜱ ʜᴀɴᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ꜱᴇɴᴛᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ‘ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴇ, ʜᴇɴʀʏ?' ᴏʀ ‘ɪꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʀɪɢʜᴛ, ʜᴇɴʀʏ?' ᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ʜᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴ ɪɴᴛᴇɢʀᴀʟ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇʀ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜ ... ʜɪꜱ ᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴄᴇ ꜱᴜᴄʜ ᴀ ꜱᴛᴜʀᴅʏ, ʀᴇᴀꜱꜱᴜʀɪɴɢ ᴄᴏᴍꜰᴏʀᴛ
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I also really liked the theme of faith and spirituality in the book, and how faith doesn't pertain to ‘God' as a being, but that we can be spiritual through kindness and how we treat people, without putting ourselves in any ‘box' of a specific religious belief.
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ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴇxᴛᴇɴᴅꜱ ᴀꜱ ꜰᴀʀ ᴀꜱ ᴍʏ ᴀʀᴍꜱ ᴄᴀɴ ʀᴇᴀᴄʜ. ʏᴏᴜʀꜱ ɪꜱ ᴀꜱ ꜰᴀʀ ᴀꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇʏᴇꜱ ᴄᴀɴ ꜱᴇᴇ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴡᴇ ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ, ɪɴ ᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛꜱ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ꜰᴀʀ ʙɪɢɢᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ
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The scientific theory was quite interesting in the book, as was the timeline, and I felt this worked really well. Personally I believe in the same loose theory (i.e. time is non-linear and events cannot be changed as they have already/are already happening in tandem).
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ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ ɪꜱ ᴀꜱ ꜰᴀʀ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴜꜱ ᴡʜᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴇɴ ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇꜱ ᴀɢᴏ, ᴏʀ ᴛᴇɴ ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ... ᴏʙᴊᴇᴄᴛꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ʙʀɪᴅɢᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ, ᴛʜᴇʏ'ʀᴇ ʙʀɪᴅɢᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ.
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I'd highly recommend Spacehopper, and think most readers would enjoy this book. I'm looking forward to reading more by Helen Fisher in the future.
I first heard about this book when it was mentioned on the Lore Podcast (episode 83: Carried Away).
The podcast itself is about curses, and it talks about the Romani people and existing superstitions relating to anyone who sits outside of mainstream society.
Romani people have always been subject to prejudice, racism and persecution.
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In this sense, although
