The Space Between

Once again I find myself reading a Yovanoff book at the same time of year that the book is set. WEIRD.

Anyway, this is an instance that I wish I had half stars to work with. The Space Between is better than three stars, but only just. It's entertaining, but it misses a lot of beats.

This book was kind of all over the place, not just story-wise but thematically. The use of POV is a big one, bouncing back and forth between Daphne's first person and Truman's third person. It's a really weird choice, and I'm not sure why she did it this way. It would have been much easier to have it all in third person, or alternating first person, because everytime there was a switch I was thrown off for a second. There was a lot of tone switching too, from dry humor (Beelzebub as a compassionate father figure gave me the giggles, not gonna lie, and I was disappointed that there wasn't more of that kind of playfulness), to a fantastical hero's journey, to utter bleak realism. Things felt the most secure when discussing grief, particularly towards the end. It was the first time that I felt the book brought out a strong emotion in me, and I really connected with the characters, despite the fact that I have never felt that kind of grief myself.

The book opens in Hell, or the city of Pandemonium, rather. Yovanoff's minimalist prose, which I enjoyed so much in The Replacement for its haunting quality, does not really work for a full on fantasy setting. It was really difficult to get a feel of what it was like there, aside from the mentions of steel and heat, the combinations of a modern template filled with a fantastical atmosphere. The effect should be very tactile (there was a moment where when Daphne is slashed with a knife and its described as “steel against steel” and I so wish there was more of that kind of description that puts your teeth on edge), but the descriptions were just not very evocative. I was a lot happier when we left Pandemonium for the real world, where Yovanoff seemed more in her element.

Yovanoff writes lost, emotionally vulnerable boys really well. Truman is compelling and tragic, and you can see why Daphne is drawn to him. Their relationship felt very real and sincere, and even though their emotions develop very quickly, it makes sense, it doesn't feel like instalove. I think it's because they both are missing pieces, so it make sense that they feel more complete when they are together and so they cleave to eachother a little irrationally.

Daphne I liked for her strength, her perserverence and her loyalty, and her vulnerable moments were beautiful too. But I kind of wish I had a better idea what demons were about. Daphne, Obie, even Beelzebub have a certain set of values. Daphne thinks nothing of killing someone for a threat, but is uncomfortable with lying. Lucifer, who has a brief but fantastic scene, clearly values loyalty. And then you have Azrael, an angel, who is a total asshole with a pet monster who tears demons to pieces. Again, I'm not sure Yovanoff is great with fantasy, even if its horror/religious/magical realism tinted fantasy. Fantasy requires rules, or else it kind of just seems like you're making it up as you go along.

I'm being really critical of this book, but I actually really enjoyed it. It was fun, sweet and romantic as well as creepy and exciting. The horror elements were some of my favorite parts, and while the demon baby thing was rather cliche, I couldn't help but love the kid. I just think there were a lot of missed opportunities here to make something richer.

There's a love story in here, and I know, I know it's not aimed at me, but I can't help feeling that it will disappoint, because it's mostly unnecessary to the plot. Well, I'm clearly not the target audience, and I knew that, but it read to me like the author was occasionally tacking on emotions to otherwise flat characters. The only character with any depth at all is the protagonist, Daphne, and that's possibly because about one in three chapters are from her point of view, first-person. That said, she's interesting enough, in a confused adolescent sort of way.

I also didn't like some of the repetitive phrasing. For instance, early on the phrase “pink, watery blood” (I think) comes up about three times in the space of a couple of pages. It lets down what is otherwise quite smartly written.

Given that, what we have is a reasonable fantasy story in a great setting. The background observations, the scenery and the construction of the demon city are all good. The world Yovanoff builds is better than the sum of its parts.