I’m a little torn on putting up a spoiler alert for my review of Thin Space — yes, I plan on going into territory that could ruin major plot points in the book. That said, the jacket copy for the book completely ruins the twist right in it. I hadn’t read the jacket copy before I dove in, but about half way through reading, I flipped the book over and gave it a read.

The twist was ruined for me. And while it didn’t ruin my reading experience, it was incredibly disappointing to have it spelled out right there on cover copy for me. Perhaps it won’t spoil the story for all readers. The reason it did for me was that the title likened to Casella’s book is one I am familiar with, and therefore, I knew immediately what was going to happen. 

Which is to say, there are spoilers in this review, but you are going to be spoiled reading jacket copy, too. At least that was the case on the ARC — I hope that the finished copy doesn’t have that major spoiler on it. Proceed as you wish.

Marsh’s twin brother died in a car accident a few months ago; Marsh was the driver. It was only a couple months following that when Mrs. Hansel, Marsh’s neighbor, died. She was the older woman that Marsh and brother Austin used to do community service for, and she was the one who introduced the boys to the concept of the thin space — the portal where souls enter and leave the body, where it’s possible to traverse time and space and be reunited with those who’ve passed on. Now that both Austin and Mrs. Hansel are gone, Marsh has become the crazy kid, looking for this thin space.

He’s convinced there is a thin space in Mrs. Hansel’s old home, since she was born there and died there. 

The grief consumes Marsh, and he’s finding himself acting out of character. He’s being aggressive, getting involved in altercations, wandering around barefoot, careless. When Mrs. Hansel’s home is sold to a new family, he finds himself making quick friends with Maddie, one of the new kids who moved in. He’s not so much taken with her in a romantic sense; he knows that getting to know Maddie means he can get into the house and seek out this thin space. 

Of course, he begins to fall for her. It’s slow but earned. However, it’s not without complications — Logan, Marsh’s girlfriend, isn’t ready for them to break up. And it’s not entirely clear whether or not Marsh is ready for that relationship to end either. Because that relationship reminds him of Austin and Austin’s relationship with Katie. The four of them would double date.

The four of them had been on a double date the night Austin died.

Little by little, Marsh opens up to Maddie, though, and he learns that she, too, is dealing with loss in her life. That she, too, would love to find a thin space to reconnect with her departed father. And the night that Mrs. Golden, school counselor, wanders into Maddie’s house on the promise of delivering treats, Maddie discovers that the counselor is also looking for the thin space. And she has found it.

And then, the marvelous, smart, savvy twist occurs — skip down a paragraph if you don’t want it. See, Marsh isn’t Marsh. In fact, that’s the bigger point of the story: Marsh really hated being a twin. He despised the fact it was so easy for him and Austin to be confused with one another, for them to be seen as the same person, despite being so different from one another. It was easy to trick Logan and Katie into believing Marsh was Austin and vice versa. And the night of the double date at the movie theater — the night of the accident — the boys had gone all the way in their identity swapping. Austin assumed the role of Marsh and Marsh, the role of Austin. So when Marsh discovers the thin space with Maddie, what happens is the true unravels: Marsh is actually Austin, and the dead twin is actually Marsh. Everything that Marsh had lived and experienced post-Austin’s death had actually been Austin living as Marsh instead. Because even the boys couldn’t separate their own selves from one another, and the weight of grief — not just of the loss, but the grief in knowing that the truth would further harm relationships and the people who loved the boys — kept Austin from telling everyone about their own history of deception.

The writing here is good, and the pacing is spot-on. The story kept me hooked and eager to see how much Marsh would reveal and how much he’d hold back. I wanted to know what would happen, what could change, the moment he got to see Austin through the thin space. The story was wholly satisfying and solid, and it’ll appeal big time to readers who loved the parallel worlds of Emily Hainsworth’s Through to You, as well as those who love the whats-real-what’s-supernatural elements of Nova Ren Suma’s books. While it is not as lush in the writing aspect, it is similarly structured in plot. This is a book that tiptoes the line and begs the reader to wonder whether or not there is a thin space or whether or not that thin space is simply a matter of narrative choice of truth vs deception.

I see this being really popular with readers who love ghost stories, who love stories about grief and mourning, and who like there to be just a tiny touch of romance. This isn’t about finding and falling in love with someone else. It’s about finding and appreciating the love that’s already around you and coming to terms with what it is you have to do to maintain and sustain it. For Marsh, it meant games of truth and games of deceit. For Marsh, it’s about dealing with grief in its many ugly, confusing, frustrating forms. Jody Casella’s Thin Space is satisfying, well-written, and compelling, with loads of reader appeal. I really look forward to seeing what she writes next. 

Thin Space is available now. Review copy received from the publisher.