This book was not for me. Normally I enjoy a sort of deadpan straightforward narrator but this was too flat. I didn't care about her, her work, the children, any characters at all. I also felt like it was supposed to be that Covid was in the past but that's not reality. I don't see the point in writing about actual events if you give a false ending to them, especially one that is still going on now. Everyone talked the same--a strange stilted way I have never heard a child speak like. It made the book a slog even though it was relatively short.

Thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton for the ARC!

I really wanted to like Gillian Linden’s "Negative Space," but the book never quite came together for me. Thematically, it’s interesting, and I think the setting is ripe for a book like this.

This is also one of the most effective depictions of teaching COVID, down to even the smallest details like how students talk about plagiarism. There were a few lines in here that summoned a visceral, full-body shudder due to Linden’s attention to the nuances of pandemic-influenced education. I also appreciate that this book has no real center—it sits in the negative space many of us experienced during the pandemic, and readers can feel the protagonist floundering for some sort of narrative momentum in a way that feels very relatable.

Even so, the prose never quite clicked for me. This book feels shaggy, which is especially odd given its brevity. For taking place in a school, it’s remarkable how little the kids sound like kids—they all have a similar, eerily precocious sort of insight that feels less than intentional. The cadence of every conversation in the book feels slightly off—slightly vacant. It is shuffling and disinterested, but again, never in a way that feels purposeful. All of these issues coalesce in a way that makes "Negative Space" feel like an early draft of ideas that have’t been whittled down into a book yet.

This isn’t a bad novel outright, but its haphazardness makes it one I am unlikely to recommend, especially when there are so many incredible books that explore these themes more effectively. All in all, I would say it’s just disappointing.

This book was ok! It's essentially a novel-length vignette, a snapshot of a few days or so in the life a teacher and mother as she navigates a difficult workplace conflict after witnessing an inappropriate interaction between her boss and a student within a school system that doesn't particularly support her. As an educator myself I was able to slip right in and connect with the story on that level; I'm genuinely not sure how the story would affect someone a little farther from the subject matter. I would recommend this book to someone looking for something in this vein specifically but don't feel it's a reading experience I must offer up to everyone.

I don't know if I have ever read a book like Negative Space. Absolutely enthralling! Linden pulls you in with her sparse and deadpan writing. As a teacher, I certainly enjoyed and appreciated her look at school bureaucracy.

Negative Space is a week in the life of an part time English Teacher working at a private school. The teacher witnesses a potentially controversial action and is forced to make decisions. It is truly a slice of life story and so well written that you will still be thinking about this school and the event many days later (as I am). This short book, almost a novella, is perfect for lovers of contemporary lit, books about school and of course the slice of life story telling style.
#negativespace #gillianlinden #whnorton #netgalley

𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 💭
I liked the big world pool the author used and how well developed the character are. The communication was varied and interesting to follow too. The whole story seemed really realistic to me because it portrayed daily challenges such as work and family. The pandemic aspect wasn’t over the top either. However the first 1/3 of the story was a little difficult for me to understand. It got better, but the story felt unfinished and cut off lots of times. I wonder if I understood the story correctly because I kept searching for a plot or message. I would love the story to be longer actually. It‘s a quick, easy and relatable read though.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

Negative Space is a unique book that I really enjoyed! There was comedy, drama, and I found the characters more relatable than I originally anticipated. I will definitely be recommending to my followers!

Everyone I interact with knows how much I dislike overly crowded novels. This takes the prize in cramming in the most names in the fewest pages. I know this is a stream of consciousness style, which is often hard to follow. Many people have now written about life during the pandemic, but I felt that the experience of the author was very different from my own.

This is not a novelette I enjoyed. As an educator, I found it difficult to empathize, which is quite unexpected. The part I related to was the inappropriate actions that take place within the school community.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Dark and different, but it worked. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I'm just reading more books that detail pandemic life, so this offered a unique perspective.

This panademic novel is the author’s debut. It covers a week in the life of a part time English teacher at a private school who lives with her husband Nicholas who is always on a phone call and her two young children, Jane and Lewis. She is attempting to navigate a potentially compromising situation between her best teacher friend and a student.

Oh, I tried to like this book but it was so dark. Perhaps that is what the author was going for, but I didn’t want to be in her stifling world.

176 page stream of conscious that felt real. I always share that I like books that are different, where the plot is one I hadn’t read before. This fit that need although I’m not sure there is a plot! It’s quirky and funny and real. It’s strange and confusing at times. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

quick and fun read. no real plot, but that worked so great in this ne. thanks for the arc and the vibes were fantastic.

A slice-of-life story about a part-time high school English teacher, wife, and mother living through the COVID pandemic. However, it’s less about the pandemic itself and more about the uncertainties and insecurities of motherhood. While it seems like not much happens in this story, I think that is the point and that’s why it’s called Negative Space. I really enjoyed this short debut novel and connected with the characters’ sentiments and neuroses on many occasions.

Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the eARC of this book.