Ms. Hen reviews The Space Between Worlds

 

The Space Between Worlds

Micaiah Johnson

Del Ray

2020

Ms. Hen decided to read this novel, because she read about it, and she thought it sounded fascinating. She is always compelled to read new science fiction, and this book did not disappoint. She dived into the universe where interdimensional travel is possible.

This novel is about Caramenta, a young Black woman who lives on the outskirts in a place called the Rurals, who is recruited to be a traverser, since on most of the other worlds, her dop, or doppelganger, is dead. Only the minorities are hired to do this work, since most of them are dead on the other worlds. A twist occurs, and Caramenta dies, but she carries on. 

She runs into all the people that she knew on other worlds, including her sister, Esther, her boyfriend Nik Nik, and his brother Adam, who is dead on her world, or Earth Zero. Caramenta gets into trouble: when she traverses back to Earth Zero, she acquires stripes on her face, markings that she had a difficult traverse. Dell, Cara's immediate boss, is an upperclass Wileyite, that Cara has a crush on, and flirts with incessantly, but Cara doesn't know how Dell really feels. 

This novel is a style of science fiction about travel between dimensions. Ms. Hen read an amazing novel a couple of years ago called FAMOUS MEN WHO NEVER LIVED, and this novel reminds Ms. Hen of that one a lot. It's smart and complicated and passionate, just like this one.

One aspect that Ms. Hen found striking about this is that the protagonist is a Black queer woman. This is different for science fiction, because traditionally the genre is full of white men. Ms. Hen thinks it's exciting that new voices in science fiction are emerging, and the future that's being written about now is full of people who are realistic, and not simply who the white male writers want them or expect them to be.

Ms. Hen found that this novel is meant to be read in long stretches. She had to sit down and read for a long time in order to situate herself in the world in which the novel takes place. It's a different world, a violent one, full of dangers, but also full of hope, since all the other worlds exist, there could be one where you find yourself having a wonderful life. Ms. Hen likes the idea of different dimensions where she has another life, and has spent time thinking about what could have happened to her. On another world, what kind of hen would Ms. Hen be?