I saw this book at a book festival.  I walked by it but something about the cover called me back.  I picked it up and met the author (used to be teacher now librarian – ok that alone sold me!) and he told me how many times his poor niece had to run back and forth until they got the perfect shot!  And that in a nutshell is why I love Indie Authors!

This book reminded me of a more serious and detached version of The Rosie Project.  The main character, in this book, Thomas is an introvert who is going along in the world by his own rules and design.  Having been left a lot of money from his father, he spends the days reading the newspaper and figuring out how to use his money to help people.  For example a church band had their instruments stolen and Thomas has new ones delivered to their doors – anonymously.  The simplistic message of see a problem – solve it if you can was delightfully delivered.

However, Thomas lacks any type of social life and when that starts to creep into his day it makes for an interesting story.   There are some repeated thoughts that at first I thought might be a lack of edit but then thought – maybe; just maybe, this IS the character’s thought process.

This is a nice, quiet and thought provoking read.  Maybe we all need to be a little more like Thomas.  You can be sure it’s a good story – Librarians always know the best ones!

SUMMARY

As he trudges through his wealthy yet introverted life, Thomas Silva has carefully managed to compensate through the years for his lack of human connection by monetarily helping struggling member of his community, but this impersonal and unorthodox method of getting by is beginning to lose its effectiveness and is no longer serving its purpose. A less-than-social childhood fused together with a fair share of uncertainty from his past has unfortunately carried on to Thomas’ adult life, making the reclusive person he is now. It’s not until he experiences a series of life-changing events that Thomas begins to consider a serious and much-needed change in perspective towards his unfulfilling life. A Vacant Space is about one’s lonely journey through existence as merely a passive spectator in the volatile game of life; a lonely journey that desperately needs to begin onto another path anew. It’s never too late to start a new beginning, even if you feel you are already so close to the end.