The Space Between by Katie Williams

The Space Between Trees
Author: Katie Williams
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Published: June 23, 2010
Pages: 280
Price (Hardcover) : $17.99
ISBN: (Hardcover) : 978-0-8118-7175-4
Reading Level: Young Adult

Synopsis:

Not your everyday coming-of-age novel…

This story was supposed to be about Evie—how she hasn't made a friend in years, how she tends to stretch the truth (especially about her so-called relationship with college drop-out Jonah Luks), and how she finally comes into her own once she learns to just be herself—but it isn't. Because when her classmate Elizabeth "Zabet" McCabe's murdered body is found in the woods, everything changes…and Evie's life is never the same again.

My Thoughts:

First of all just let me admit that I loved this book when I saw the cover! Yes, it was Cover Love! I had HIGH Hopes for this book! Also, there's nothing better than a thriller that keeps me up all hours of the night.  So, I put this book on a pedestal before I even opened it.  Sometimes I do that and it's a bad thing, because I've built it up so much in my mind and then I read it and I say "That was good, but..." Not in this case!

"THE SPACE BETWEEN TREES" was a beautifully written story about a girl who has no friends and is just forced to grow up so faced. I was amazed at how daring Evie could be at times and how fragile at others.  It's true that Evie didn't fit in, and I'll explain that a little bit below, but how many teenagers do.  This book will be a helpful to so many teens that feel like they're left out or they don't have a boyfriend but want one.  How about everyone else has done that.  I remember Evie saying something like "I've done nothing" when being questioned over and over as to what she's done, and how dangerous she is. 

No matter where Evie goes, she just doesn't seem to fit in.  At school she sits with a bunch of girls she's nicknamed "The Whisperers" just because they didn't protest and she doesn't have any real friends.  So, she makes up stories and lies to keep them entertained and at least talking to her.  Sadly enough Evie does the same at home.  Evie's parents have been divorced since she was a little girl and she only has two real memories of her father.  What really bothers Evie is that her mother was this super-popular teenage girl with like a million friends and sees no reason that Evie shouldn't be doing the same things she did. She's always asking her about friends, so Evie lies to her mother as well and makes up stories about "The Whisperers" just to make her mother happy.   The only friend Evie ever had was a girl named Elizabeth MaCabe but that was long before now, that was in grammar school and it was only because Elizabeth's mother used to watch Evie for a little while.  Once that stopped and they got older, Zabet got with the wrong crowd, and began to hang out with a new best friend Hadley Smith.  She was known as the tough girl in school.  Zabet's Hello's went to mere eye contact down to nothing at all. 

There is something Evie looks forward to, and that's every Sunday when she's delivering her papers.  She gets to see Jonah.  Jonah's a college boy that she has a serious crush on, of course this is a one way street. He sees her as his sometimes friend and they talk briefly.  His job is to collect all the dead animals that are in the woods close to the homes in the upscale neighborhood where Evie also delivers her papers. One day it all changes when she sees Jonah come out of the woods and go into an old woman's house. Suddenly, the police are everywhere and Evie is too scared to move from the spot she's crouched in.  Many things race through her head, she wonders what could've happened and suddenly inches away she's passed by a body bag.  Evie watches as they load the body onto the truck and even as she hears Jonah call her name for the first time, all she can do at that point is run. Later she finds out from her mother that Zabet has been murdered.

I could go on and on about how she gets together with Mr. MaCabe, Zabet's father or how about how she finally finds a best friend and you won't believe who it is. All these things happen because of her lies that keep getting bigger and bigger.  But, Evie is a lovable character and she can tell the truth and most of all, she knows who she is.  Hadly is obsessed with finding Zabet's killer and so, together they make a list and do some private investigating of their own.  Who killed Zabet? It's a long list of suspects and yes, it is tied up at the end.

Katie Williams did an AMAZING job with "THE SPACE BETWEEN TREES"! The depth of Evie's character alone and the storyline had me up two nights in a row until the wee hours of the morning.  But it's not just Evie's character that will get you, it's just about all of them.  Even the background characters had enough depth for me to connect with them and to HAVE to know what was going to happen next.  I hope that there is more coming for Katie Williams, she's a brilliant storyteller!  "THE SPACE BETWEEN TREES" is not to be missed!

About The Author:

Katie Williams is a graduate of the MFA program at the University of Texas at Austin and has published numerous short stories for adults. She lives in San Francisco, where she currently teaches writing at the Academy of Art. This is her first young adult novel.

Read the First Chapter Here!


If you'd like a chance to WIN an AUTOGRAPHED copy of "THE SPACE BETWEEN TREES" then wait right here, as part of the Official Blog Tour, today is my stop and Katie Williams has prepared a Guest Post just for Park-Avenue Princess! At the end, I'll tell you how ONE of my VERY Lucky Royal Readers Will Win a copy to treasure for their very own!

KISSES and TOODLES!!