Book Review: The Space Between the Stars by Anne Corlett
I received a promotional copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Space Between the Stars by Anne Corlett
Mogsy’s Rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Berkley (June 13, 2017)
Length: 368 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
The Space Between the Stars is a contemplative novel about one woman’s journey through a desolate, broken down galaxy after much of humanity has been wiped out by a deadly plague. Jamie Allenby was able to escape much of the chaos due to the fact she was working on a remote planet at the time, but while her choice to be alone may have saved her from the worst effects of the virus, it also left her cut off from the rest of civilization. Now she is desperate to reconnect with her long-term partner Daniel, whom she had sought some time away from after the loss of their unborn child. Jamie has no idea if Daniel is even still alive, but an unknown transmission received on her communicator gives her hope. Recalling a conversation they once had about meeting up in Northumberland if an apocalypse scenario ever happened, Jamie begins working on a plan to return to Earth.
Before long, Jamie meets up with another group of survivors and she is able to leave her lonely planet on a spaceship captained by a man named Callan. A ragtag crew made up of characters with diverse origins, her new traveling companions are all nonetheless struggling with similar fears of the future and trying to come to terms with the loss of so many people. Differences in opinion and beliefs are a cause of much friction among the group especially in the early weeks, as everyone must accept that the old ways are gone and that the way ahead is more uncertain than ever.
To begin, I didn’t think The Space Between the Stars was a bad book, but my overall enjoyment was admittedly dragged down by some pretty deep flaws. You may have heard already that the novel is inherently light on the science fiction, despite its post-apocalyptic premise and space traveling narrative. While this is true, I was surprised to find that I actually didn’t mind the lack of sci-fi elements. No, what I did mind was the novel’s thin plot and absence of any clear direction.
I believe part of the problem stems from the protagonist. Unfortunately, I found Jamie’s character extremely annoying and unlikeable, to the point where everything she did, said, or thought made me want to grind my teeth. I get that she’s a broken and complicated survivor, who has had to deal with some pretty rough stuff. Still, let’s be real—in a scenario where almost the entire human population has been wiped out, who hasn’t been touched by pain and loss? For Jamie though, self-reflection is almost non-existent. She’s also judgmental and hypocritical, too wrapped up with her own problems to open her heart and sympathize with others. This is a character who, by her own admission, dropped out of medical school and switched to veterinary medicine because pesky human patients had that pesky way of telling her about their pesky feelings. Heaven forfend! On top of that, she also can’t stop obsessing about her past. In a devastated world best served by positive attitudes and long-term thinking, she’s bogged down instead with lame excuses for her wishy-washiness and negativity. That’s because bitterness is a constant for Jamie. To see what I mean, just count how many times the words “resent”, “resentment”, and “resentful” come up in the book when they’re being used to describe her moods. The answer is: Way too much.
It’s rare for me to feel such dislike for a main character, but as hard as I tried to compartmentalize those feelings, they nonetheless played a huge role in influencing my overall experience. Often, I found myself wishing we could follow the tale through the eyes of the other characters, like kind and grandfatherly Lowry, pragmatic Gracie, or even the shy and awkward Mila. The story itself was decent, but I also didn’t come away feeling like I got much from it. For all the characters’ planet-hopping and space-faring, the novel’s universe felt small and uninspired, and while there were several interesting developments in terms of world-building, there just wasn’t enough follow through to satisfy me.
Still, I have no doubt most of my disappointment is rooted in my inability to connect with the protagonist. It’s always an uphill battle in these cases, so it’s really tough for me to look objectively at this book and separate its other aspects from my critical feelings towards Jamie. That said, it definitely wouldn’t hurt to check out other reviews if you’re curious about trying a quieter and more low-key sci-fi read. The Space Between the Stars was simply not a good fit for me, but as always your own mileage may vary.
The BiblioSanctum 
Ah too bad. I have to agree, enjoying the story when you can’t get past an unlikable protagonist is very difficult.
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It’s tough for sure. I think the character was meant to be redeemed, but I just didn’t feel it.
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That was pretty much my experience except I almost always have issues with MCs. Nothing new here.
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I don’t usually have issues with most MCs, so when I do, you know it’s bad lol 😀
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It’s interesting how people’s opinions on books can be so varied. Another blogger friend recently reviewed this book and enjoyed it for the most part. And yeah, I agree that it’s very difficult to like a book if you can’t connect with the protagonist. I’ve DNFed a few books for that very reason.
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I wanted to dnf this so many times! Then protagonist just made me so angry! Everything she did annoyed me.
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When I first heard about this book the premise fascinated me, but some of the comments I read about characterization did not encourage me to read it immediately. Now I see that my initial doubts were well founded: if it’s important to connect with a character to fully enjoy a story, that character (even a negative one, like the proverbial bad guy) needs some saving grace, and this Jamie does not seem to possess any… This must be the origin, IMHO, of your disconnection from the story: the p.o.v. of such a person must have soured the experience for you. I’m sorry it didn’t work out!
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Yeah I don’t mind anti heroes or “unlikable” characters as long as I am given a good reason to root for them. Jamie was too wishy washy for me to get a good feel for her though. She was just overall a very unpleasant person and hard to support.
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Ehh, na thanks
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Yeah, I can’t really recommend this.
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Bummer. Like others commenters I have a tough time with unlikeable protags sometimes. One of my favorite things in books like this IS self- reflection, and character growth, so if she doesn’t self- reflect that would bug me too. And based on some other reviews I definitely think I’d have problems with this one.
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I think you’ve nailed the reason why I was so disappointed. The protagonist evolved very little, and any lessons learned had no follow through.
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Like usual yer reviews sum up the problems perfectly. I did finish the novel but then it walked the plank. The MC irked me. Ye can check out me review below if ye like. Excellent post.
x The Captain
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Oh my goodness, yes she was so annoying! Everything she did or said got on my nerves!
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Aw, someone else I follow really liked it! Maybe I’ll be the average of the two of you… I’ve got a copy awaiting me, anyway.
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Yeah, I know where you’re coming from. I gave this 3.5 – but that’s basically because I’m too soft. I thought this was okay – I didn’t hate it, but I had so many issues, why the lack of Sci-fi? Why set the story in space if it doesn’t feel like it. Too many coincidences and yeah, the main character isn’t the most endearing. It was okay but I wouldn’t rave about it
Lynn 😀
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Really like your review. For me, it’s usually hard to enjoy a story if I don’t like or can’t connect with the protagonist.
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Pingback: The Space Between The Stars by Anne Corlett | Audiobook Review
Rena, not Jamie, was the most unlikeable character. Jamie was interesting because we were allowed to hear a lot of her internal dialogue that seemed to be tangled and ambivalent but it takes the whole novel for us to learn about the early trauma that was the beginning of it all. The author keeps us in suspense on this which is a good move. Despite her ambivalence about intimacy, Jamie shows compassion and nurturing toward the autistic Finn and moral courage in facing down the authoritarian plans of Daniel and Buckley. And Callan grew to love her, wisely aware of her need for ‘space’.
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