Review: All the White Spaces: A Novel by Ally Wilkes

All the White Spaces: A Novel by Ally Wilkes
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Edelweiss+, however I ended up listening to the final version of the audiobook.  All opinions are my own.

From the description, this sounded like it would align with my reading tastes.  A little bit historical fiction with an interesting horror aspect.  Unfortunately, I wasn't drawn in by the slow pacing.  This follows Jonathan, who stows away on an expedition to Antarctica after the death of both of his brothers.  Jonathan's brothers both had dreams of going on Antarctic adventures, and Jonathan has decided to take up the mantel.  When the crew arrives in the dangerous Weddell Sea, disaster strikes and the expedition seems to be cursed.  

I did think that the use of the aurora as a device to prey on the fears of men was a good one.  You couldn't tell if there really was something supernatural out there or if the men on the crew were slowly descending into madness from the Antarctic temperatures and lack of provisions.  I thought that Wilkes did a good job developing the fear and fragility of the characters as they try to survive their situation.  

While I thought this was a well written book, this is a case of this style of slow build up isn't the type of book I prefer.  I never truly felt the tension and terror that the characters were feeling, I think that is because there were long periods of time between the events.  This is also very character driven, which is also no my preferred style.  I prefer faster paced plot driven books with a bit more action.  This is a great story of self discovery and survival.  

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