Today I am taking part in the blog tour for The Space Between Us. My review is written with thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me on the tour and to Orenda Books for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

Connecting will change everything…

Lennox is a troubled teenager with no family. Ava is eight months pregnant and fleeing her abusive husband. Heather is a grieving mother and cancer sufferer. They don’t know each other, but when a meteor streaks over Edinburgh, all three suffer instant, catastrophic strokes…

…only to wake up the following day in hospital, miraculously recovered.

When news reaches them of an octopus-like creature washed up on the shore near where the meteor came to earth, Lennox senses that some extra-terrestrial force is at play. With the help of Ava, Heather and a journalist, Ewan, he rescues the creature they call ‘Sandy’ and goes on the run.

But they aren’t the only ones with an interest in the alien … close behind are Ava’s husband, the police and a government unit who wants to capture the creature, at all costs. And Sandy’s arrival may have implications beyond anything anyone could imagine….

Review:

If you’ve read my blog before, you’ll know that sci-fi isn’t my favourite genre, but the author of The Space Between Us is Doug Johnstone so obviously I had to step into the unfamiliar world of the extra terrestrial and see what this novel is all about for myself. I shouldn’t have worried about it being too far out of my comfort zone. Doug Johnstone is an absolutely phenomenal writer, whose storytelling and ability to create relatable characters, often in unusual situations is second to none.

The Space Between Us has four different narrators: Lennox, Ava, Heather and Ewan. I loved getting to know these characters, who are all very different with contrasting life circumstances, but through a twist of fate, manage to find each other and go on an extraordinary journey. None of the characters come from what you would call a privileged background and through this, the author is able to make us think about domestic abuse, grief, illness, family relationships and the care system against the backdrop of a unique but brilliantly engaging story. He explores the issues in significant depth and this allows us to root for the characters despite the unusual circumstances.

I should also mention Sandy at this point. They are also a wonderful character and I love the vivid description that means we are able to picture them in great detail and become further immersed in the story. 

There is an undercurrent of tension throughout The Space Between Us, but this increases tenfold as we near the ending, in a really gripping conclusion. It didn’t end in the way I expected, but I loved it!

The Space Between Us is available from Amazon.

You ccan follow the rest of the blog tour here: