In The Space Between Here & Now, Aimee Roh has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome — certain smells make her disappear from the present and travel back into a memory for minutes or hours. After an especially harrowing episode, Aimee decides to travel to Korea to find out more about her estranged mother. There she reconnects with an old crush and her aunt. As she continues to disappear into memories for longer and longer periods, she learns she needs to reconcile with her past in order to save herself in the present.

The story has only a very light touch of science fiction; other than Aimee’s syndrome, everything is very much rooted in the real world. Although STWS isn’t a real syndrome, the challenges Aimee faces as someone with a rare and misunderstood disease feel real. Strangers gawk at her, classmates avoid her and her dad is unwilling to talk about it and hopes she will just ‘grow out of it.’

As Aimee navigates Seoul and the countryside and eats mouthwatering food, I enjoyed the descriptions of South Korea as much as the fast-paced plot and well-drawn characters. This is a Young Adult book with a touch of romance that would be suitable for readers at the younger end of the age range.

Author Sarah Suk lives in Vancouver, where she writes stories and admires mountains. She is the author of the young adult novel Made in Korea as well as the cowriter of John Cho’s middle grade novel Troublemaker. When she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the water, taking film photos or eating a bowl of bingsu.

Suk will be presenting at local schools through the Author in the Schools program this fall.

You can also see her at Firebrands, Runaways & Time Warps: Children & YA Authors Reading Event on Oct. 20 at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler at 10 a.m. This event is free for youth (please RSVP), and ticketed for adults. 

Review is by Sara Leach. She is the chair of The Whistler Writing Society board of directors and the award-winning author of nine books for children, including the Slug Days trilogy, Mountain Machines and Count Me In.