A Mango-Shaped Space

A Mango-Shaped Space

Author	Wendy Mass
Language	English
Genre	Realistic Fiction
Publisher	Little, Brown Young Readers
Publication date	April 16, 2003
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardcover) & Paperback
Pages	224 pp
ISBN	0316523887

A Mango-Shaped Space (2003) is a novel by Wendy Mass. It is about Mia Winchell, 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 colored chalk to make the numbers fit into the synesthetic 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 thought everyone saw this way. After that, Mia doesn't tell anyone about her colors and everyone soon forgets.

When Mia is twelve 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 his heavy wheezing are different shades of orange and yellow to her; like a mango in different seasons. The wheezes are actually caused by a deep 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 an answer. He is a doctor who demands they call him Jerry, nothing else. He 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, Mia forgets to give Mango his medicine. She wakes up in the middle of the night to find him outside in the cold. She brings him in but it is already too late, and Mango is dead by the end of the night. After Mango dies, Mia is extremely depressed and her colors disappear. She feels guilty and believes she killed her cat by being so preoccupied, even though no one is to blame for his death. Her colors come back, however, when she meets up with a 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

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