This novel was highly-recommended by several of my well-read friends, and the clincher finally came when one of them gave me the book as a leaving-work present. Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein is described as a YA-thriller and I for one am extremely excited to see this sub-genre develop.
Tash Carmody is a high school student who has been traumatised since childhood when a fateful visit to her aunt’s farm property led to the appearance of Sparrow, Tash’s imaginary friend. But Sparrow isn’t like other imaginary friends. Not only can no one can see him, but Tash is terrified by the things he does and has no control over when he appears. Then one day she sees him lure little Melanie Fisher away from a carnival, and when the girl is found a week later she is traumatised and mute.
Tash spends the next few years until high school trying to come to terms with what happened. She comes to accept the explanation that she was young and seeking attention, insecure because her younger brother took her parent’s attention away from her. She tries as hard as she can to get to a place where she can live independently and have her parents trust her again. But then Melanie Fisher and he family move back to town and Tash starts seeing Sparrow again. Her fear and distrust of herself heightens as she remembers disturbing details of what happened when she was a child in her aunt’s house.
This book is an incredible exercise in slowly-heightening tension, the mystery of Tash’s imaginary friend swinging from intriguing to exhilarating to terrifying. I could not put this book down – I read it in less than 24 hours and immediately called my friend when I finished it so we could discuss every detail ad nauseum. I can’t tell too much about the story without giving away the plot, but I’ll say that it really messes with your head. Tash is an unreliable narrator even though she tries so hard to be certain of what she sees and how she feels, and Epstein’s skill in creating a creepy, suspense-driven atmosphere in between moments of banal teen-life is incredibly skilful. The first person narrative draws the reader into Tash’s mind, making you as scared and confused as she is. The ending wraps everything up neatly with a bow, and that’s the best part; nothing is left hanging. I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves edge-of-your-seat suspense and exhilarating mysteries.
