Space Between Worlds

A great exploration of many concepts by a protagonist who stays true to herself

Bit of a mixed bag this one. The first two thirds of the book were interesting and I really liked the movement between worlds, though it would have been good to meet other traversers. I didn't see the plot twist coming and thought it was quite clever. The last third of the book feels rushed though, as if the author needed to wrap everything up within a page limit.

I had wanted something to read where I did not feel obligated or compelled to take notes, but then there were so many phrases buttressing the plot worth noting down, that I quickly ran out of bookmarks — even despite abandoning a majority of Johnson’s sharpest constructions to the depths of pages read. So, by a third in, I guessed that regardless of how I was to find this novel in any other respects, The space between worlds was at least a four star piece for revisitability. The word-to-word texture remained more prosaic than I fully take to in fiction, but there is much to appreciate in what Johnson has built, and how.

This was a delight. It came with strong positive word of mouth which was richly deserved. At heart, a love story with quite a lot else packed in to a shortish book.
This has things to say about capitalism, tech bros, race, abuse, family and so many other things through the prism of alternate worlds. A kind of 'what if this person wasn't what I find them to be' story.
Recommended.