My sort of synethesia equals seeing colours in music based on the key, smelling music, tasting it. Since it's my username and something I have, I have personal experience on the subject. Really, synesthesia is much like psychedelic effects of drugs, but it's natural, involuntary, and usually not so dizzying.įirst of all, synesthesia is not a disability. And yet, Mass exaggerated it here and made it the subject of her whole book. Synesthesia is not that much of a handicap. Or maybe it was just because I didn't like the way she handled the 'issue' of synesthesia. I understand that the condition is difficult to convey in the written word, but I think Mass could have slipped in those descriptions more discreetly (and made them better).Īlso, the main character was slightly annoying. A lot of times, it's so vague, and I just barely grasp it and a lot of times, when I even try to describe it, it goes away. You just see it, and they're often not solid either. Mass's descriptions of synesthesia felt unnatural to me synesthesia is such a natural part of a synesthete's life that it's not something you notice. It's just like a cool little thing we have, something that deepens our affinity for art, but it's not this colossal issue in our lives. I've never encountered a synesthete who felt this way about their synesthesia. I think Mass made it seem greater than what it actually is. Nonetheless, throughout the novel, she either makes synesthesia seem like a harrowing handicap or divine euphoria.

I understand that Mass does not have synesthesia herself and that this lack of experience clearly makes it difficult for her to portray the condition accurately. Having strong synesthesia myself, I was not very pleased with the way it is portrayed in this book.

A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass