The Space Between Here & Now
by Sarah Suk
It's hard to truly describe what I loved best about this book. Perhaps I wasn't meant to, but I truly connected with Aimee and her "disability." It was never described as a disability; however, how it was treated made me feel like STWS is, at least at the beginning of the book, seen as a disability. What is STWS? "Sensory Time Warp Syndrome" means that at any point the person is triggered, they will disappear from the "real" world and go back to that point in time in their memories. Aimee's trigger is scents; meaning that she could be walking with friends in a public market place and smell a specific food, and is immediately transported back to a point in her memories where she had that food.
The isolation, confusion, brushoffs with medical personnel, and honestly, struggle for reliable information, that the character experienced all resonated with experiences that I have had with my hearing loss. If you are the only one you know who is deaf or hard-of-hearing, it can be an isolating existence. The anxiety that Aimee felt not knowing when she would disappear, I've felt when walking into a large group where I'd have to depend on my hearing aids and lip-reading. Junho mentions within the story that Aimee must feel like she is walking between two worlds - always on edge. This, right here, is how I would describe myself as a deaf person - walking between two worlds - deaf and hearing.
Hiding the fact that she had STWS, or not wanting to mention she had the condition reminded me of when I was younger, before I was comfortable with who I am and proud of my Deaf identity, I would hide my hearing aids and call myself "hearing" with hearing aids.
How Sarah Suk wrote the main character dealing with her anxiety, her loneliness and depression as well as her search for answers truly made the reader really follow Aimee's journey. The best friend who kept helping Aimee only for Aimee to realize, Nikita too had struggles and you can't compare but that one person's experience or struggles doesn't erase another's. The sweet, beginning romance with Junho felt natural and was really charming and genuine.
The story includes Aimee discovering her past while trying to figure out her present and how to survive with STWS while traveling and exploring Korea. The interspersed Korean with the characters sentences really created strong characters. I loved that this book was about discovering your blood family - their good and bad traits - but also, your found family too.
Sarah Suk's writing is absolutely amazing and I am jealous of how quickly she captured me and kept me reading until 1 AM to finish the book.
The Space Between Here & Now is a must read for any one who loves YA, emotional tales, or stories about family. And the reminder, to be present is a reminder that everyone can use.
Happy Reading!
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