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Jody Casella

Author of Thin Space

2 Works 106 Members 12 Reviews

Works by Jody Casella

Thin Space (2013) 102 copies
Thin Space (2013) 4 copies

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Marsh has been living in a fog ever since the car crash that killed his twin brother and left him injured. He is being crushed by his sadness and guilt over what happened and what's happened since. He no longer cares about his friends at school or life in general... all he cares about is finding a Thin Space and making things right. You see when his elderly neighbor told him about these Thin Spaces- a place where the dead and living can meet-, and that she was going to make one, he thought she was just a nut. But now he's counting on it.

Maddie has moved in to the house that has the best potential for holding a Thin Space. Marsh knows if he can only get close to her, she might let him in to find it. Even with all his craziness, Maddie wants to befriend Marsh. Even though her brother and his new friends are expressly against it. As the two of them become closer and bond over their need to find a Thin Space, Marsh gets closer to coming to grips with what really happened the night Austin died.


My Thoughts:
I loved the idea that drove this book. What if there was a place where you could communicate with a dead loved one? And I can see how someone who is grieving can become completely obsessed with trying to make it happen. Marsh wanted to find a Thin Space so badly that he walked around without shoes at all times. You know just in case he walked into a Thin Space inadvertently. The mere thought of that hurts my feet and grosses me out. But this boy was DESPERATE.

It was hard for me to believe that Maddie would gravitate to Marsh. If I saw a dude walking around without shoes, I'd be like HELL NO. I give her credit for being so open minded.

The downside of this book for me was that I figured out "the secret" pretty early on. There were a few clues that jumped out at me and I just knew. I'm not usually good at figuring things like that out, so I think maybe it should have been disguised a little better. The rest of the book was kind of ruined because after I guessed the secret I looked at Marsh in a completely different way. With that being said there was one thing that happened at the end that I did NOT see coming at all, so it wasn't all ruined.

I think this is a great first book for this author. The writing was fab and kept me reading long past my bedtime. I just wished that the big reveal was more hidden and I didn't FEEL the grief and sadness the way I have with some other books. I mean the boy lost his TWIN and he was super depressed, but the feeling for me wasn't there.

OVERALL: A strong debut from Jody Casella!! It's a book about a boy paralyzed by grief and guilt. He's holding in secrets that he can't share with anyone and his quest to find a Thin Space takes over his life. I liked how the writing hooked me, but I wished I would have felt more. I usually cry like baby when a character hurts as much as Marsh was, but my face remained dry.

My Blog:


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Michelle_PPDB | 11 other reviews | Mar 18, 2023 |
After losing his twin brother in a car accident where he was driving, Marsh has completely lost himself in his grief. Obsessed with an old story from an even older neighbour who’s long gone, he finds himself constantly looking for the perfect spot for a “thin space”, or a place where he can cross over to the other side to talk to someone lost to the world. He just wants to talk to him one last time and make things ight. But after wandering around barefoot for months, it’s starting to get cold, and he’s starting to lost hope.

Check out my full review here!

https://radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com/2021/10/13/book-review-thin-space-b...
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radioactivebookworm | 11 other reviews | Oct 13, 2021 |
I wanted to love this book SO BAD. I mean, the concept of it is amazing. Who out there would not try and find a thin space to see a lost loved one? Unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me.

Alright, you can go now. No need to read the rest of the review. Jking.

The first issue I had was the bare feet. Does this count as a spoiler? I don’t think so. It doesn’t ruin any of the book, it’s just an integral part of the plot. In order to find a thin space, you have to be able to touch it with your bare toesies. Which makes complete sense to me. So he doesn’t miss finding a thin space, Marsh walks around bare foot. All. The. Time. To school, to the mall, in the middle of winter. All. The. Time. And I get that the adults want to let him grieve, but I don’t think in reality, people would let a kid walk around with no shoes on. I would assume the school would have had to send him home, at the very least. I know my parents wouldn’t have accepted it.

I wanted to like both Marsh and Maddie, but I didn’t feel connected to either of them. I’ve never gone through the type of grief and guilt that Marsh was experiencing, but his attitude towards life was a little much for me to handle. I liked the blooming friendship between him and Maddie (the girl who moves into the house with a thin space) but I didn’t really get a good sense of her. She was just kind of there.

Also, how Marsh knows about thin spaces just seems a little too coincidental for me. He learns about them then BAM, his brother is dead. The timing on that is just a little too perfect.

And finally, the ending. This was weird for me. I actually liked the ending, but I walked away going “that’s it?”. Maybe because I was basically done by this point, but I would have liked it if this whole part was a lot bigger. It’s twisty and I like it.

I mean overall, it wasn’t a HORRIBLE book. I read the entire thing, which is saying something since I’ve DNF’ed a couple of books lately. I’m trying not to push myself into reading things that don’t catch my full attention. So if it interests you, pick it up.

Just set your expectations low and maybe you’ll be blown away.
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keyboardscoffee | 11 other reviews | May 30, 2016 |
A suspenseful sci-fi novel with some great twists and turns! Marshall lost his twin brother Austin 3 months ago in a car accident; Marsh was driving, and is wracked with guilt as well as grief. Ever since, he has been walking around in bare feet, a rather unusual way to grieve, his parents think--but it's because he is determined to find a "thin space." This would be a spot, hard to see, where the barrier between our world and the next is thinner, so the living can enter the world of the dead. Marsh desperately wants to speak to his brother again, but not necessarily for the reasons you might think. He meets Maddie, a girl his age who moves in next door, and this complicates his search for a thin space because he is sure there is one in her house; but how can he get inside to search without revealing to her his mad quest? I can't talk too much about this book for fear of spoiling too much; it's just a really cool and clever book! It's suspenseful, dark, and keeps you guessing; an excellent psychological study of survivor's guilt, with a supernatural bent. Ohio author.… (more)
 
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GoldieBug | 11 other reviews | Sep 19, 2015 |

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