This book was weird. In no way is that a bad thing, because this book kept me guessing about what was real--and even about what could be real and if anything was real--right up to the end.

Troubled Emma has far too many problems. Her guardian had a stroke and is no longer physically or mentally there for her, she's got a head full of metal from surgeries, and she keeps having these weird moments where she thinks she's someone else. Those moments are so real that she believes she's another person, living their life, and it isn't until she comes back to herself, minutes or hours later, that she realizes what's happened.

On top of all this, she writes a short story, a short story she's then accused of plagiarizing from an unfinished manuscript by a dead writer. But she's never seen that manuscript, she's sure of it. It's in this mood she leaves for a trip and ends up caught in a horrible blizzard.

Then we meet Lizzie, a young girl whose parents are in danger, and whose father might be the danger. And Eric, Casey, Bode, and Rima, who all end up trapped in the blizzard with Emma, and who are in just as much danger as she is.

Sounds like, what, a ghost story? Monsters? Haunted house? It's none of these things. It's about storytelling, and drawing the line between stories and reality. It's about wondering if you're the protagonist or a supporting character, and it's about taking charge of your own story.

This story was surreal and wonderful. I really hope there's more to come.

(Provided by publisher) ( )

Blurred realities, terrifying monsters, and a protagonist who "blinks" into the lives of others set the tone for the first installment of the YA "Dark Passages" trilogy. I've never read a YA book like this before, and I really wanted to like "White Space" more than I did. Bick's story is very creative, and she is a descriptive and engaging writer, but this is not her best work. While parts of the book are truly terrifying, the convoluted plot and abundance of supporting characters often left me confused. Bick also often ends chapters midsentence, which adds suspense, but also confusion, especially the next time you pick up the book.

Kathleen K. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

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A dark fantasy with dense science fiction elements that serves up a hefty helping of WTF?!! Hands down one of the most complex yet satisfying YA books I've read. See also Where Futures End.

You start off not knowing where, what, how or why, and that lost feeling is constant through, oh, 75% of the book. Clues in the books and movies alluded to and/or outright referenced are the key to grounding your experience. If you understand them - from the first (Identity) to one of the most referenced (the matrix) to the last (shutter island) - then you'll have a better idea how the story will play out.

If you're someone who reads for a story's payoff AND you enjoy a 500-page Alice in Wonderland-esque journey to that end, White Space is the book for you.

If, however, you prefer your stories (and payoffs) quick and obvious, requiring little attention along the way, skip this one. Its labyrinthine structure and plot would likely prove too much work for the sort of reward you seek.

3.5 stars
(only because it was too long; having recognized every reference as well as sensed the unnamed influences I knew early on where this story was going. The world was amazing, no doubt, but the story could've packed more punch minus 150-200 pages.) ( )

I loved the start of this book. For the first half of the novel I was completely hooked. Bick's writing reminded me very much of early Stephen King (which I love). I kept tell everyone to read this novel!

But then, also in the King tradition, I got a bit bored with the story. It just seemed to go on for soooo long. I think for me the pacing was just off a bit.

As the first book in a series, there was also no resolution for me as the reader. I was left feeling frustrated rather than anticipating Book 2.

So although the main characters were fairly well developed, there were too many loose strings left in this book and the pacing crumbled for me halfway through the story. ( )

Emma has metal plates in her head, terrible headaches and blackouts due to injuries received as a child. During blackouts, she seems to travel to other places. When she writes a short story for English that turns out to be almost identical to an unpublished story by a famous horror writer all these different places seem to slide into each other. ( )