All That Impossible Space

All That Impossible Space
Written by Anna Morgan
Contemporary, Mystery, #LoveOZYA
Published June 25th 2019
278 Pages
Thank you to Hachette Australia
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★★★★☆
Fifteen year old Lara Laylor feels like supporting character in her own life. She's Ashley's best friend, she's Hannah's sister, she's never just Lara.

When new history teacher Mr. Grant gives her an unusual assignment, investigating the mystery of the Somerton Man. Found dead in on an Adelaide beach in 1948, a half smoked cigarette still in his mouth and the labels cut out of his clothes, the Somerton Man has intrigued people for years. Was he a spy? A criminal? Year 10 has plenty of mysteries of its own: boys, drama queen friends, and enigmatic new students. When they seem just as unsolvable as a 60 year old cold case, Lara finds herself spending more and more time on the assignment. But Mr Grant himself may be the biggest mystery of all.

Interspersed with fictionalised snapshots of the Somerton Man investigation, All That Impossible Space is a coming of age novel exploring toxic friendships and the balance of power between teacher and student, perfect for fans of Cath Crowley and Fiona Wood.
Lara Laylor has always been an afterthought, living in the shadow of her popular and enigmatic sister Hannah or best friend Ash, an aspiring Broadway actress. With Hannah travelling through Europe trying to find herself, Ash convinces Lara to join the annual Saint Margaret's College musical in conjunction with the local boys school. Lara's real passion is athletics, the freedom of running her own race in the crisp morning air and to perform in the school's production of Cinderella, she'll put her own needs aside for Ash. Again.

Ash and Lara have been friends since primary school, Ash coming to her rescue while Lara was having an asthma attack. Over the years, their friendship has bloomed but now becoming increasingly toxic. Ash is often fuelled by jealousy which results in her abrasive behaviour towards teachers, Lara and new student Kate, who has befriended Lara. Ash will often make decisions for both herself and Lara and lacking in confidence, Lara continuously looks to Ash for validation and approval.

When young history teacher David Grant begins at Saint Margaret's with his fondness for rule breaking and exchanges of ideas as equals, Lara feels she may have found a kindred spirit and throws herself into the group assignment, the mystery of the Somerton Man. The case of the Somerton Man has captivated Australia since the late forties, a deceased man found on the beach in South Australia. No identification. No possessions. A cigarette hanging out of his mouth and the labels removed from his clothing. His cause of death was undetermined and the mystery deepens as they found a small piece of paper in his pocket torn from a Persian novel, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. The case still remains unsolved.

While Lara is navigating new friendships, a new crush and a demanding best friend, her new history teacher suddenly becomes his own mystery and disappears. The school refuses to provide Lara with any information. Frustrated and seeking answers, Lara begins to delve deeper into the Somerton Man mystery, believing the Somerton Man case may be why David Grant disappeared. Naturally Lara wants to know what happened to the new teacher despite those around her unable to understand the connection she felt towards David Grant. It wasn't a romantic relationship by any means but rather made Lara feel valued as an individual and not as Hannah's sister or Ash's friend. 

The writing is spectacular, blending a contemporary narrative of friendship and finding your individuality with a decades old unsolved mystery entwined. It's incredibly genuine. I think we've all known an Ash growing up and experienced the varying levels of a toxic and codependent friendship, from backhanded compliments to outright hostility. I really enjoyed Lara's budding romance Jos, both Jos and Kate were wonderful supporting characters and I appreciated that they were able to become friends and that friendship existed independently from their friendships with Lara. It was a lovely touch. The writing itself was captivating and honest, it held an authenticity that Australian authors create so incredibly, without needing to dramatise the teen experience.

I absolutely loved it and now obsessed with the Somerton Man myself. Tamám Shud.

Check out Wikipedia to learn more about the Somerton Man mystery.

16 comments

  1. I haven't read books by Aussie authors but I really want to! The praises for them are high! This one sounds delightful. I feel bard for Lara, being in that toxic friendship. I really hope Ash changes or Lara creates distance between them. I'm glad she has friends that aren't just Ash. The teacher disappearing sounds super intriguing! I'm glad you enjoyed this one so much, Kelly!
    Genesis @ Whispering Chapters

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    1. Their friendship portrayal felt so incredibly authentic, I think we've all experienced a friendship of codependency and negativity. They usually begin to change over time so we might not necessarily realise how it's impacting our life. This would be a brilliant book to begin with and it should be available on Amazon Australia or The Book Depository with free postage.

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  2. So glad this one was a hit for you. I wasn’t sure how the blending of the girls’ lives and the historic mystery of the Somerton Man was going to flow, but it sounds as if it worked fantastically. Awesome review Kelly.

    XOXO Sarah.

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    1. It blended beautifully! The mystery was another layer of a wonderful contemporary storyline. You'll absolutely love this Sarah!

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  3. OMG I love this! I so need this book in my life. This sounds amazing and probably the kind of book every teen needs to read. I think young me would have appreciated this book a lot too <3

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    1. It's amazing Uma. I was especially drawn in by the mystery of the Somerton Man and obsessed with all the conspiracy theories online about who he may have been and why he was murdered.

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  4. This definitely sounds like a beautiful story that a lot of readers will find relatable.

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    1. I couldn't recommend it more highly Suzanne, it'll definitely appeal to contemporary and mystery readers. I loved the true crime elements of the Somerton Man as well.

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  5. This sounds wonderful -- just interesting characterisation and a friendship wrapped around a mystery.

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    1. It's brilliant Verushka, you'll absolutely love this one!

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  6. Wow, this sounds brilliant! I love that there's a mystery element to it, because we all love a good mystery. But it's the friendship between Ash and Lara which intrigues me on this one. It sounds hella toxic and I feel like you rarely read about toxic friendships and the impact they can have. I'll be interested to see how that all develops.

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    1. It really elevated it to beyond a contemporary novel with the mystery and true crime element. You'll absolutely love this one!

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  7. What an interesting layer to add to the story. I love the idea of this mystery from the past combine with Lara's coming of age. Toxic friendship stories always make me a little sad, but it sounds like the author sets Lara up well for life without her former friend.

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    1. I think we've all been there, during those adolescent years and even as adults where we've been part of a friendship that's a little too one sided or not all that great for us. It's such a genuine read, I'd love to see what you think of it!

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  8. This sounds like a great YA story! It’s totally new to me but I really like the sound of the mystery (well, two mysteries, I guess) and the look at toxic friendships.

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    1. It's a great read Tanya and one hat'll appeal to such a wide range of audiences as well. I do hope you're able to pick up a copy, I would love to see what you think of it!

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