The Space Between Us

by Anna McPartlin

Fans of Marian Keyes will love The Space Between Us, a heart-breaking story of friendship from award-nominated author, Anna McPartlin.

From babyhood Eve and Lily were best friends. But one huge fight and 17 years later Eve wakes up from a horrific accident to find her old friend nursing her.

At first, their reunion is tentative but during Eve's many months in hospital they confront both the lies of the past and their present failures. And each clearly sees how the other needs to change her life: Lily must get out of an impossible marriage and Eve has to face up to the pain she has caused others.

The crisis that brought Eve and Lily together again seems like a blessing that has given them a second chance to be there for each other when they most need someone to lean on. Little do they suspect that their friendship is under a threat that will change the future forever ...

'Anna McPartlin can make you feel despair and sadness but she can also make you see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's quite an impressive feat. If you haven't already tried Anna McPartlin then you are definitely missing out. She is one of the finest writers around and The Space Between Us is one of the best tales of friendship' Chicklitreviewsandnews.com

'Anna's warmth and humour shine through as she takes the reader on a journey through laughter and tears' U Magazine

Anna McPartlin believes that even the darkest times have their lighter moments and she tells tales that are authentic, deeply emotional and yet often deeply funny. The Space Between Us is Anna McPartlin at the height of her storytelling powers. Before her writing career took off Anna was, among other things, a stand-up comedian and a claims adjuster. Her first novel Pack Up The Moon was shortlisted as Newcomer of the Year in the Irish Book Awards and her writing has gone from strength to strength ever since. Her other titles include No Way to Say Goodbye, The One I Love and The Truth Will Out.

• ISBN13: 9781842234549
• Publish Date: 26 September 2011
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: IE
• Imprint: Poolbeg Press Ltd
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Language: English

Reviews

[Leah]

Anna McPartlin is an author that has shot up my radar since I read Pack Up The Moon at the beginning of last year. It was a marvellous novel, full of warmth, humour and heart and it really did blow me away. I then picked up her most latest release The One I Love (also published as Alexandra, Gone in the US and So What If I’m Broken in Ireland) and, again, it was a brilliant, brilliant read. I mean, McPartlin is just a genius storyteller. She is, without doubt, one of the best Irish writers around and her talent should not go undiscovered. I was inexplicably pleased when a new book The Space Between Us was announced and I couldn’t wait to read it, hoping for a read just as good as the previous two I’ve read.

The Space Between Us is a novel of friendships. Of how your life can turn out to not be as perfect as you thought it would be. Of how you can become stuck in a rut and not even notice. Of how one massive accident can change the course of your life and perhaps make it better than it was. Eve and Lily grew up as best friends. They did everything together and when Lily had to go and live with her Uncle to earn money before going off to College, the two girls kept in touch with letters; they were as close as sisters and Eve’s family treated Lily like their own. Fast forward eighteen years, and an incident from that summer Lily was away destroyed the friendship and Lily and Eve no longer speak. Lily’s married to Declan, has two kids, and loves her job as a nurse and Eve is a rich, jewellery designer who, after her Dad dies, decides to come back to Ireland to start over, to retire… Until a car accident brings Lily and Eve back into each other’s lives and they both begin to question how their lives turned out the way they did…

Each chapter of The Space Between Us starts with a letter – from Eve to Lily or from Lily to Eve, that takes place during the fateful summer it all went wrong for the girls, when they ended up not speaking again before it comes back to the present day. I found the letters fascinating. In fact, I would have happily read a novel filled with letters back and forth between the teenage Eve and teenage Lily as they were hugely absorbing. It set the tone for each chapter, it was a nice way to lead into it and it also fulfilled the quest of telling us exactly what happened that summer, slowly but surely. The plot itself was also hugely readable. I like books about friendships. They’re very rare, mainly focusing on romance or finding love, so a novel about two friends is sometimes a nice relief. (Not that there’s anything wrong with an excellent love story, of course.) I liked that despite so many years apart, Lily and Eve were able to fall back into the same easy friendship as Lily tended to Eve after her accident. I liked how the tragic accident made them question their lives and re-examine everything. It was hugely absorbing.

Eve and Lily aren’t exactly people you would suspect would be friends, Eve being forthright and honest, whereas Lily mainly wants to please people and look after people and want people to need her. But the love they have for each other (not in a lesbian way!) is something and their friendship just so easily rolls back the years. I found both characters fascinating. They are very different people, but they’re both so likeable. They’re both so lovely. I loved Lily, I really did. I respected how she’d put her life on hold for her husband Declan and kids, even if Declan was a bit of a horror. But I also liked Eve’s forthrightness. How she called a spade, a spade. How she wasn’t afraid to go for what she wants. The book is mainly about Eve and Lily, as it should be, I feel, but there was a very welcome cast around them who added to the story – Eve’s brother, Clooney; the aforementioned Declan, along with Lily’s kids Scott and Daisy; friends of Eve and Lily: Gina, Gar, Paul.

The Space Between Us is very well written and I found myself easily caught up in the story. I wanted Eve to get better, I wanted Lily to have everything she ever wanted… The ending was quite poignant. I sensed what was coming, I sensed we hadn’t been told everything, and it made me kind of sad, but it also made me hopeful. Anna McPartlin can do that. She can make you feel despair and sadness but she can also make you see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s quite an impressive feat. If you haven’t already tried Anna McPartlin then you are definitely missing out. She is one of the finest writers around and I’m 3-for-3 of her 5 novels. The Space Between Us is one of the best tales of friendship and I really, really enjoyed it. I definitely recommend the book and I recommend McPartlin as an author. She’s a true storyteller and this novel confirms it for me.