In 1984, fifteen-year-old Celestine Tolland and her parents were part of a crew of explorers who set off into space. Months after their departure, a virus ravaged the crew of the Phaeacia, killing nearly everyone aboard. The few survivors finally returned to Earth after nearly two years. However, because they were traveling near the speed of light—causing an effect known as time dilation—more than thirty years have passed on Earth. Celestine, who had finished her freshman year in high school in 1984, returns to Earth to begin her senior year in 2022. She is only seventeen, while her former classmates are all nearly fifty years old.
$15.99 – $25.99
Back in her hometown, Celestine faces the same trials that every teen girl faces, but there are many new challenges. In addition to making friends, finding romance, and dealing with mean girls, she has to learn how to navigate social media and the internet, and to avoid suspicious members of the public who fear she is contagious. She also has to deal with survivor’s guilt, living with her foster mother (who also happens to be her childhood friend), therapy, fear of a government conspiracy, and fear of falling ill…
At its heart, this psychological thriller centers around the humanity of a young woman unsure of where to turn and whom to trust.
Ebook: Â Kindle
I can’t tell you how many times a book jacket says “Girl is dealing with xyz. Enter boy…” This is not that. The book never loses sight of Celestine as the main character and it doesn’t follow the typical tropes. I was pleasantly surprised at how certain things work out because I couldn’t see them coming. The book respects Celestine as an individual outside of her relationships and doesn’t pretend that teen drama is the only thing on her mind. (Which makes sense given she’s the 6th survivor of a failed space mission). Not terribly heavy on sci-fi as the focus is Celestine’s fish out of water adjustment to the 2020s. Some of her observations ask us to think twice about how we’re living today especially when it comes to social media and human connection. She is a thoughtful character who, while she makes mistakes, learns to respect herself enough to know what and who isn’t good for her.
This girl went through so much. Her story is told in such a way that I was mesmerized from the beginning. The timing of the post-pandemic recovery with her own experiences before and after returning home was just right. A must read for fans of intelligent science fiction.
The book really captures the angst and feel of being a teenaged girl, while layering on some unique generational issues. It provides for a wide-angle lens on today’s youth and Gen X. A fun and sometimes harrowing read.
