Book Review | All The White Spaces by Ally Wilkes

In the wake of the First World War, Jonathan Morgan stows away on a ship bound for an Antarctic expedition. When disaster strikes, the crew is isolated on land in the freezing winter darkness where something terrible waits for them outside…

The sea should have risen up. There should have been a tempest, a typhoon, a tidal wave. Crashing over the quay, breaking over me – making me anew.

Because I heard it then; the call of the South. I could hear my brothers.

Maybe we’ll take you with us.

All The White Spaces is the perfect book to read in winter! I’ve always been fascinated with expedition-themed horror (like Michelle Paver’s Dark Matter) and this book has a compelling mix of wintery dread, the darkness of human nature, and uncanny supernatural turns.

After losing his two brothers in the war, Jonathan runs away from home with his friend Harry to join an expedition. But this is more than just a fun trip – Jonathan is a transgender man, and for the first time ever, he gets the chance to live as his true self. He works hard to be accepted by the men and be part of the crew. I loved how the book portrays the stifling societal expectations of gender and identity through his eyes. He wants to follow in his brothers’ footsteps, sometimes to his own detriment. He makes the same mistake of judging other characters as they did to him and learns that he’s not the only person hiding secrets on the ship.

The chilly setting is atmospheric and the stakes are high. These men have to survive as their minds and bodies deteriorate, supplies dwindle and unexplained events happen. The supporting characters are hard to keep track but a list of names and occupations is included at the beginning which helps. Some of them, including the ship’s leader James Randall and his second-in-command, Liam Clarke, are explored more than the others. I enjoyed the appearance of ghosts which may or may not be due to the characters’ imagination on overdrive.

The writing is elaborate, which unfortunately resulted in slow pacing. There are sections that could have been shorter and I wish the tension is ratcheted up more. But it does hit the necessary emotional beats. The book shows how grief, loss, and memories can affect the desire to let go of the past.

If you enjoy historical supernatural horror in the frozen depths of the Antarctic, add All The White Spaces to your list!

CW: animal deaths

I received a copy from the publisher and Netgalley for review purposes. 

About the author: Ally Wilkes

Photo by Torsten Dederich