I read the kindle version of…
Small Spaces (2018) by Katherine Arden ⭐⭐⭐

I enjoyed this book. It’s a solid ghost story, and the author does a good job setting the scene for this atmospheric October read. I’d recommend this if you’re in the mood for an easy, quick read to add to your spooky season reading list.
Ollie lost her mother in a terrible accident some time ago, and she’s still struggling to cope with the loss. When she sees a distressed lady ready to throw a book in a river, something compels Ollie to steal the book from the woman. The mysterious woman gives her a bit of advice before Ollie rides away on her bike: Avoid large spaces at night. Stick to the small.
Ollie soon starts reading the book. It’s a published diary of some sort! It tells a sad story about the Webster family and a bargain made with a mysterious figure called the Smiling Man who grants wishes in exchange for a harrowing price.
The next day, Ollie’s 6th grade class goes on a field trip to a neighboring farm with a ghost-story history. Ollie discovers that there are strange parallels between the book she’s reading and the history of the farm. Names and events are the same, but it can’t be the same place…. can it?
What’s more, there’s something weird and creepy about the scarecrows on the farm. They’re all over and way more in number than a farm would typically have…..
Small Spaces actually made me tear up in a part or two. I think it has a lot of heart in it. If I’d read it in 6th grade, I would probably have been sufficiently spooked. It would make a nice film if done right.
Small spaces is not without its editing issues, though. I felt like there were quite a few short, abrupt sentences that could have been combined into one. I’m of the firm belief that current writers need to bring back the semicolon. That being said, this is the first entry I’ve read from author Katherine Arden, so this could just be her writing style. After all, who am I to criticize a writing style when I remember that old adage ‘to each their own’?
I am fairly sure that one of Katherine Arden’s influences for some elements of this story was the Japanese fairy tale called The Boy Who Drew Cats. Translated by Lafcadio Hearn in 1898, it tells the story of a boy is training to be a priest. The boy is kicked out for drawing cats everywhere, but before he leaves, the priest gives him this advice: “Avoid large places at night. Keep to the small.” This advice proves to save his life later in the story.
This book was the first endeavor for Katherine Arden in the realm of middle school publications, She is best known for the fantasy trilogy written for adults called Winternight, which is set in medieval Russia. She was born in 1987,
3 stars: A solid page-turner of a book. I’m interested in reading some more of her stuff.