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‘The Space Between’ – The book every young woman should read

Content warning: This article discusses sexual assault.

The Space Between: Chaos. Questions. Magic. Welcome to Your Twenties’ by Michelle Andrews and Zara McDonald, about life and its hurdles in your twenties, is one of the most relatable books I have ever read.

Full of laughter, truth, and advice, this book helps you understand your twenties while reassuring you that you’re not alone in what is/will be some of the toughest years of your life.

Michelle and Zara host an extremely popular pop-culture podcast called Shameless which began back in 2018 and continues to hit the Apple podcast charts each week. As a fan of their podcast, it’s hard to not love what these two have created in ‘The Space Between’ with their wittiness.

Published in September 2020, the book explores lessons that both Michelle and Zara wish they knew before they began their twenties. Topics of relationships, family, friends, university and their careers are covered through a series of short essays by each author.

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The book is divided into four chapters: Love, Ambition, Mind and Body, and Voice. Michelle and Zara take you on a ride of emotions throughout the book by making you relate your own experiences and thoughts to theirs, and the further through the book you get, the more intense the emotions come.

For me, this book covered topics I have tried to ignore in the past, specifically my experiences with ex-boyfriends, broken friendships, family dysfunctions and my worth as a person.

If there is something this book does, it ensures you that you’re not alone in life. As someone experiencing their twenties, this book made me understand that I am not the only one feeling pressure and confusion at this stage of my life.

Michelle and Zara have structured the book in a way that is so easy to read with some sections containing dot points, tables, and small quirky sketches to break up the text. I knew straight away when I started reading the book that it was going to be hard to put it down.

“There’s this weird gap in life that’s fuelled by cheap tacos and even cheaper tequila – also known as your twenties. It’s that specific limbo between being a teenager and a Proper Adult, and though it’s wildly confusing, often lonely, sometimes embarrassing and frequently daunting, there’s also a whole lot of magic to be found in the chaos.” – The Space Between 

 

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In the chapter ‘Ambition’, they write ’29 things we wish we could’ve told ourselves on the final day of university’. Reading this, I felt so much comfort in the preconceived stress going through my mind about finishing university through these points.

“4. You don’t have to pretend to be excited about finishing university if you don’t know what’s coming next. Uncertainty is scary.”

“11. You are more than welcome to spend some time floating between jobs you might not love before working out what you want. There is no deadline or cut-off point when it comes to chasing your dreams. And no, you don’t need to know exactly what that ‘dream’ is just yet. Things take time. Everyone is going at their own pace. You’ve got the rest of your life to figure out career stuff.”

I was provided with a lot of guidance and reassurance after reading their experience, and with my degree due to finish at the end of this year, it was exactly what I needed to hear. Because this section was broken down into a list, it was so easy to read and follow which was a creative and clever way to present this part of the book.

 

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The most serious chapter, ‘Voice’, appears at the end of the novel. In this section, Michelle and Zara explore the challenges faced with feminism, self-consciousness, the pressures of drinking in your twenties, and sexual violence.

This is one of the most powerful chapters of the book, and I think the topics above speak to that in itself. The many raw truths spoken by Michelle and Zara had me in tears by the end of the book.

Michelle shares her emotional response after being sexually assaulted seven years ago and how her trauma has affected her life in so many aspects. Instead of recapping the event, Michelle speaks about its effect on her and her life which is extremely brave.

Everything Michelle and Zara have shared on the pages is so genuine that after reading the novel, I have a newfound respect for the two authors and their courage to share some of their most intimate struggles for the reader’s benefits.

I am not the only one who has loved and appreciated this book. It was recently shortlisted in the Australian Book Industry Awards for the ‘General Non-fiction Book of the Year’ award which will be announced on the 28th of April at the awards night.

Although this novel focuses on getting through your twenties, it can relate to anyone who is experiencing or has experienced what Michelle and Zara have.

This book makes you reflect on your life, both good and bad, and I think anyone who reads it will finish the book with some reassurance and new insights on life.

If this story brings up issues for you, there are people you can talk to. 1800 RESPECT deals with sexual assault. If you don’t want to talk, you can access their website. You can also talk to Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 or access their website. 

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