When The Space Between Worlds came out in 2020, it was all anyone was talking about on Book Riot. (That’s the site I work for now and wrote for then.) It’s not often a sapphic book gets that much attention outside the queer book world, and the premise immediately hooked me. So, of course, I picked it up for the first time five years later. It turns out that it definitely lives up to the hype, and while I somewhat regret not reading it right away, there were some benefits in experiencing this story in 2025.
Cara is barely surviving in the wastelands outside of the walled Wiley City. Climate change has ravaged the land, and outside the walls, a despot rules with an iron fist. It’s definitely Mad Max adjacent. But Cara’s life changes when she’s brought into Wiley City to be a traverser. Traversers can travel between alternate universes—something the city has quickly monetized—but it’s only possible if your doppelgänger in the other universe is dead. In hundreds of reachable universes, Cara has only survived in a handful of them, which makes her a valuable asset.
Cara plans to keep her head down and work towards citizenship, finally carving out a bit of comfort and safety for herself. And flirting endlessly with her brusque handler Dell is a great job perk. But when one of her doppelgängers is murdered, Cara is pulled into a plot that threatens to upend her new life.
This was such a fantastic read. It’s fast-paced and twisty—as soon as I felt like I had regained my footing, there’d be another reveal that changed everything. It was fascinating to see these alternate universes, especially meeting the slightly (or dramatically) different versions of each of the characters. And then there’s the slow burn romance between Cara and Dell, which was heart-wrenching. But an unexpected relationship that stole the show for me was the one between Cara and her stepsister, Esther, who is a guiding light and grounding force for her. Her influence helps Cara to become a less selfish person, even when it means risking her life.
One of the reasons I’m glad I read this now is that Cara has a somewhat arbitrary line in the sand. She lives in a fucked up world where she’s just been trying to survive her whole life. And now she’s found the place she’s willing to dig in her heels and fight. She keeps getting asked why she can’t let this go when she’s been willing to overlook so many other morally reprehensible acts. But maybe it’s more about her becoming the kind of person to stand for something. She’s not morally pure. But she’s fighting for something better, in whatever imperfect, messy way she can.
In 2025, it feels like we’re facing a barrage of cruelty. (From the Trump government, but beyond that as well.) It’s easy to feel helpless, overwhelmed, and numb. It can feel like fighting on any one front is useless, especially if it feels like we’ve already let so much happen. That’s something inspirational in Cara’s stance because it doesn’t come from a place of righteousness. She’s fighting back in the way that makes sense for her in this moment, and that’s the best (and the least) we can all do.
Johnson somehow manages to have this be both gritty sci-fi (complete with gore) as well as a romantic story. Just look at that cover! The relationship between Cara and Dell doesn’t take centre stage, but it threads through the plot and has a great pay off. This turns out to be a love story after all. And I will admit, I cried.
Oh, and there’s one more reason I’m kind of glad I waited until 2025 to read this: the sequel is out now! Those Beyond the Wall has a different main character but is set in the same world, and I can’t wait to read it.
Credit to SciFiNow for the “Sliding Doors meets Mad Max” description.
Content warnings: abusive relationship, violence, gore, addiction, mention of rape
