54 pages • 1 hour read
Wendy MassA Mango-Shaped Space
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2003A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Medical Context: Synesthesia
Synesthesia is a core narrative element of A Mango-Shaped Space. It is a real condition that can impact people in different ways. Estimates for how common synesthesia is vary significantly, from around 1% of the population to around 25% (Bragança, Guilherme F., João Gabriel Marques Fonseca, and Paulo Caramelli. "Synesthesia and music perception." Dementia & Neuropsychologia, 2015). One of the difficulties in determining the prevalence of synesthesia is that many people who have it never realize that there is anything unusual about their perception of the world. Research on synesthesia is still limited: Neurologists do not know what causes synesthesia, although there is likely a hereditary component. One theory, briefly discussed in A Mango-Shaped Space, is that everyone starts life as a synesthete, but only some people retain these neural connections beyond infancy. As Jerry explains in the novel, synesthetes do not all have the same sensory associations. For one person, the letter A might be green; for another, it might be red. There are many kinds of synesthesia, and it is possible for people to have more than one kind.
Generally speaking, A Mango-Shaped Space provides an accurate representation of synesthesia. Synesthesia is a lifelong experience that cannot be (and does not need to be) cured. It can temporarily disappear in times of emotional distress, but the sensory associations themselves never change (the letter A will always be green, for example). It is true that some synesthetes experience a mild hindrance or advantage surrounding certain tasks like learning new languages or memorizing dates, just like Mia, though others do not. For most people who experience it, synesthesia just fades into the background as a part of their perception of the world. Most people with synesthesia neither require nor pursue formal diagnoses like Mia receives from Jerry. The condition has been known to neurologists since the 1890s and there is ample information about it online. The heavy medicalization of Mia’s synesthesia (requiring three visits to professionals) and the intensity of the ostracization and isolation that she experiences because of it may strike synesthetes and non-synesthetes alike as exaggerated.
Genre Context: Coming-of-Age Stories
A Mango-Shaped Space is a coming-of-age narrative. That means that it follows a young person, Mia Winchell, as she goes through a challenging but important time in her life and learns about herself in the process. Many coming-of-age stories feature protagonists who are either older children or adolescents. At 13, Mia is growing up fast and learning more about herself. At the start of the book, Mia tries hard to hold on to the past. She does not want to start eighth grade, she hopes never to get her period, and she insists on wearing the old, fraying friendship bracelet that her friend Jenna gave her. Mia is aware that if people knew about the colors she sees, her life might change. She keeps that part of herself a secret, which means that she remains safe but also means that she cannot really grow or change.
When Mia finally tells her parents about her experiences and receives a diagnosis of synesthesia, she starts her coming-of-age journey. For a while, she gets so wrapped up in her own experiences that she neglects her school work and her friendships. She tries to grow up quickly, particularly through her brief romantic connection with Adam. At the end of the book, she is presented as finding the right balance. She starts Understanding Oneself by learning about synesthesia, goes through a journey of Grief and Healing after Mango dies, and forms stronger relationships with Jenna and Roger as she learns more about Being Considerate of Others. By the end of the story, Mia is more mature and better prepared for her future.
There are many famous coming-of-age stories that follow a similar narrative structure to A Mango-Shaped Space. Some stories have their young protagonists go through dangerous experiences, like Huckleberry Finn from Mark Twain’s 1884 novel of the same name. Others, like Wendy Mass’s work, follow protagonists through journeys that are not dangerous but more quotidian. I Can Make this Promise (2019) by Christine Day and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) by Ann Brashares are two 21st-century examples.
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