The Space Between Here and Now

Written by Sarah Suk

Quill Tree Books

978-0063255135

320 pp.

Ages 13-17

October 2023

I know I'm a little late to review Sarah Suk's second young adult book (she wrote Made in Korea in 2021) but I just recently heard of this novel from the Red Maple panel of the Forest Kid Committee who recommended it for their summer reading list. (Each year that I help out with this committee, I learn of new Canadian titles for young readers. These young people are amazing readers!) After checking out their recommendation, I was intrigued by the blurb about The Space Between Here and Now and was not disappointed.

 

Aimee Roh is a typical 17-year-old Korean Canadian living in Vancouver, BC with Appa, her father. She's thinking about university, she hangs with her friends, she has a passion for photography, and she and her father have a close but respectful relationship. She's typical in every way except that she has a rare condition called Sensory Time Warp Syndrome a.k.a. STWS. Those with STWS have different triggers for memories that can transport them back to the time of the memory. When triggered by smells, Aimee disappears, travels back to a memory usually for just few minutes. Some people grow out of the condition, but Aimee is finding that she's experiencing more frequent episodes and wonders if it is because of the stresses of being a senior and anticipating the next phase of her life. What doesn't help is that it is impossible to talk to her father about it or get the supports she needs to help her cope.

 

After a particularly lengthy disappearance in which she is taken to a long-forgotten memory of a family outing to Kitsilano Beach, before her mother abandoned the family when Aimee was 6, Aimee is confused. Her memory doesn't match what she remembers and she begins to wonder whether her mother perhaps had STWS. Taking matters in hand, and with the encouragement and help of best friend Nikita, Aimee embarks on a spring break trip to Korea, hopeful of finding out some answers about her mother and family that her father doesn't seem to want to share with her.

 

With Nikita researching online for clues, and Aimee reconnecting with her Aunt Gomo and childhood friend Junho, the search for Aimee's mom begins. With some new insights into her STWS and into her relationship with her father, Aimee finds herself gaining clarity and even confidence where there was once only confusion.

Teen angst is not unusual but the angst that comes from a chronic condition that unexpectedly disappears you from your life, even if temporarily, is beyond typical. It has left Aimee in a precarious position, in a space between then and now, unclear as to her memories of her past and her understanding of her present. Sarah Suk, a Vancouver author, gives Aimee a story that might appear tenuous, never knowing when she might disappear or where she will end up or even if there is a possibility of ending up in a time loop. But Aimee's story is not anxiety-driven; it is driven by a need to know. Young adults will appreciate that push to become self-actualized, to understand oneself. Aimee's life is many layered, between her issues of abandonment by her mother, being disaffected with her father, and struggling not to stand out because of her STWS. While today's teens may not have a memory-driven time-travel condition, they have their own issues that challenge them in their drive for understanding and satisfaction. They can learn from Aimee who faces peer pressures and family pressures and uncertainty and is still able to resolve things well enough for herself. She may not get the answers she was specifically looking for, but she gets what she needs and learns things that will help her, as well as others. 

Though the fantastical nature of Aimee's STWS elevates The Space Between Here and Now from the drama of teen angst to the realm of science fiction,  Sarah Suk gives a story that is both enlightening about one Korean-Canadian family as well as familiar. For that reason, I urge young people to read The Space Between Here and Now for some insight into their own lives and relationships with others, particularly parents, to see how reconciliation may be reached with patience, effort and, most definitely, compassion.

The Museum of Very Bad Smells: A Dare to Scratch 'n' Sniff Mystery

Written and illustrated by Monica Arnaldo

Katherine Tegen Books

978-0-063271449

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

July, 2024

 

Though we might all pooh-pooh a museum of very bad smells, I'll bet the premise will delight young readers who enjoy a frisson of irreverence in their stories. And if irreverence comes in the form of farts and toilet humour, all the better.

From The Museum of Very Bad Smells, written and illustrated by Monica Arnaldo

Yes, there is a Museum of Very Bad Smells, and it has suffered a great loss: the World Famous Rotten Egg has been stolen! The hamster gallery attendant or perhaps docent, has a mystery to solve and readers are invited to help. Throughout the book, there are spots where readers are invited to scratch and sniff. But what will the clues tell us? And who are the suspects?

From The Museum of Very Bad Smells, written and illustrated by Monica Arnaldo

The possible suspects include a busy dung beetle curator named Beetle; TJ, a mouse who works in the gift shop; Pickles, the wet dog; and Herman, a hermit crab and the docent's boss. Using his very fine nose for smells, the kepi-wearing hamster begins to follow the clues, and they are some very stinky ones, according to his telling comments. (I'm reviewing this book from an epub so cannot attest to the malodorous whiff that might arise from scratching the spot clues.) And though the hamster detective initially eliminates all the suspects, his sense of scents leads him to each of his museum colleagues. 

From The Museum of Very Bad Smells, written and illustrated by Monica Arnaldo

But in a Museum of Very Bad Smells there is a plethora of stinky exhibits, from onions and Pickles the farting dog, to dirty socks and wet sneakers, and loads to throw our intrepid detective and his assistants, the readers, off the scent. (Or is it onto the scent?) Fortunately, his very capable sniffer finds the culprit and a new exhibit for the Museum.

From The Museum of Very Bad Smells, written and illustrated by Monica Arnaldo

I recently lauded Monica Arnaldo for her picture book Mr. S, a perfect first-day-of-school book. Just as she got into the heads of very young children heading to school for the first time and not knowing what to expect, including the possibility that a sandwich might be their teacher, Monica Arnaldo knows that kids will love, love, love The Museum of Very Bad Smells and laugh, laugh, laugh as they scratch and sniff and solve the mystery of the missing rotten egg. Her story is hysterical and, while I'm thankful I didn't need to scratch and smell anything, I know children will find it a hoot to do just that. (Be prepared: there's no lavender or bubble gum smells here.) 

From The Museum of Very Bad Smells, written and illustrated by Monica Arnaldo

Her art is as playful as the text. This museum is a blend of bold and busy, colour and shape. Monica Arnaldo makes us look at and into each exhibit, follow the detective's progress, and sniff for clues, always helping readers find those sniffing spots with a tiny pointing hand. And her characters have so much individuality. From the sullen hermit crab carrying his herring tin around–for mystery lovers, you'll notice it's a red herring tin–and the defensive TJ and guilty-looking Pickles, so big and so loved and so much a dog, Monica Arnaldo makes us see a motley group of potential suspects and become part of her story of mystery.

 

The Museum of Very Bad Smells has everything a kid would want in a picture book: laughs, stinks, animals, illustrations with lots of details, colour, and a puzzle to solve. They might not be able to find the missing rotten egg on their own, but they'll be pleased to be part of the investigation. It might even encourage them to visit a real museum, though I think they'll be hard-pressed to locate one dedicated to offensive odours.