A Mango-Shaped Space

A Mango-Shaped Space (2003) is a novel by Wendy Mass. This brilliant book is about Mia, a thirteen year old girl living with synesthesia. Her synesthesia causes her problems in school, with friends, and just having her parents understand her. For example, Mia first experiences ridicule at the hands of her third-grade classmates when she is called to the front of the room to do a math problem. She uses coloured chalk to make the numbers fit into the synthesiasiatic form in which she sees them. Her teacher tells her to stop stalling by making up silly stories. Mia is left confused and alone, because she thoght everyone saw this way. After that, Mia tells nobody about her colors.

When Mia is tweleve her most beloved friend, her grandfather, dies. During her grandfather's funeral, Mia finds a Gray and white kitten with eyes just like her grandfather's. She immediately decides that part of her grandfather's soul is living in that kitten. She takes him home and names him Mango. Not because of his orange eyes, but because his meows and is heavy wheezing are different shades of orange and yellow to her; like a mango in different seasons. The wheezes is actually caused by a dip rip in Mango's lung, which cannot be repaired, but Mango copes with it.

When school trouble in 8th grade causes Mia to tell about her colors. Her mother takes Mia to many different doctors, but only one has a answer. He is a docter who demands they call him Jerry, nothing else. Her tells Mia all about her synesthesia, and gives her loads of information about it. He even gives her a website where Mia can communicate with other synesthetes.

Later on in the story, Mia has her first kiss with a boy named Adam, a boy she met on that website.

Because she is so preoccupied with her condition and life, Mango dies of cold, because he got locked outside and was unable to reach the warmth of his home. After Mango dies, Mia is extremely depressed and her colors disappear.They come back, When she meets up witha young boy named Billy, who shares her condition. Billy helps her realize that she has to move on to help other synesthetes.

However, Mango ended up mating with one of the neighbor's female cats before he died, and she gave birth to some kittens. Mia saw that one of the kittens sounded like the color of Mustard. She knew on the inside Mango would want Mia to have his son, so his spirit could live on.

Publication details

• 2003, USA, Little, Brown, and Company (ISBN 978-0316523882), Pub date ? April 2003, hardback (first edition)
• 2005, USA, Little, Brown, and Company (ISBN 978-0316058254), Pub date ? October 2005, paperback