Reviews with content warning for Gore - Interesting Facts About Space

emily austin has so much empathy for her characters. it’s genuinely joyful to see them come into their own.

that being said, this almost felt like an over edited debut novel? slightly self conscious in a way that stops it from fully embracing the depth of its strangeness. i loved a lot of it and it’s my favourite read of the year so far but it’s definitely undercooked.

i get that rumination is enid’s whole deal but the first half of this book felt extremely stagnant. list-like, like austin was checking off popular and familiar beats instead of letting the story unfold organically. didn’t hate it but it added an air of predictability that undercut the depth and heart of the story. & as much as i loved them, i also didn’t entirely buy all the characters relationships to each other. some interactions (LOVED polly in particular whose unabashed lesbianism was everything, but she was little more than an apparition:/ ) felt hastily tacked on, like an afterthought, which sucked because reading about enid’s unique relationship to everyone in her life was the best part. unfortunately the book ends—rather abruptly—once she really settles into those relationships. it’s hard not the compare the patchiness of this to the subtly of <em> everyone in this room will someday be dead </em> which was achingly earnest and deftly crafted, but this didn’t quite reach those aims.

i just wanted more of everything.

Content Warnings

floatinthevoid's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Enid's daily life can't be separated from these two things: space and true crime podcasts. From mars to black holes, she always has interesting space trivia at the top of her mind. She often finds herself in circumstances where she and other people are at odds, and the murder stories podcast is one reason she can manage getting by. She also goes on a lot of dates with women from dating apps. One day she receives a phone call from a stranger that resulted in an unexpected sequence thereafter. Although she would rather stay out of other people's business, it appears that misfortune follows in her direction. On top of that she is not only in the middle of rekindling her ties with her family, she also noticed that one of her neighbors has been acting strange recently. With so many things happening in her life, things are getting worse when she feels like she’s slowly losing control.

Set in modern day where there’s a certain stereotype about women who listen to true crime podcasts, I was dreading that this book will turn to a path I don’t particularly enjoy. Because my past experience with modern internet phenomena used in a book is not so great. Having finished the book, I think I can trust Emily Austin to handle that in a careful manner. As per Emily Austin style, the premise of the story tends to be simple yet the actualization is rather grim and gloomy. That’s why before starting this book, it’s best to check the trigger warnings first then tread carefully.

This book made me realize that it's impossible to make everyone understand me. It doesn’t matter how much or how little I explain about what’s going on inside myself to people; some people won't be satisfied by my explanation. It stings, but that’s just how the world works. Like Enid, who exhibits symptoms of autism throughout her life, she can’t speak her mind without portraying it in a way that other people can accept. People’s reactions to her authentic self are often furrowed eyebrows and awkward smiles. To avoid over-explaining herself that will just make the situation worse, she develops a way to camouflage. There’s this persisting feeling that the way that she is unfit for the world.

“I worry that I am a shell for something bad. That deep down, in the spot where most people keep their souls, I keep a weird little bug.”

This narrative is a constant thing that exists in her head. Because we exist in her head, we are provided with her train of thought which explains why Enid behaves the way she does. But even after mastering the art of blending in with society, she is still misunderstood by people around her.

Enid is a complex character who displays a mix of traits, trauma, and coping skills she acquired after negative past experience. She’s written to be so unbelievably real, as if Austin finds Enid’s diary on a random Tuesday, then makes it a novel.

What I’m trying to say is, the characterization of Enid is so intricately refined. From the way she talks to herself, how she presents herself in front of other people and why she does it, the slow walk to self-awareness, to how she finally finds herself, all of that feels so psychologically intimate?? Maybe because I ‘m very familiar with the themes this book brought up, that’s why I’m totally absorbed in the story. I guess because of this reason too, this book will hit harder for some than others.

The plot itself isn’t some grand twisty storyline or anything, but it integrates well with what the characters are dealing with. To me the pace is well-timed, not wonky at all. The dynamics between the characters are okay, and the humor is without a doubt, well delivered. Enid is so neurotic, her mind is a mess to the point that her absurd thoughts sound so hilarious to me like she’s so me fr. Meanwhile the mystery aspect itself is not what you expect. I don’t want to spoil it, just know that it left me with emotional damage which I should be compensated for.

I wish I could articulate myself better because some passages in this book made me feel like screaming crying throwing up munching the wall, you know what I mean?? The nuance in the daughter-mother relationship, half sisters and abandoned kid, relate that to Enid’s relationship with people, it’s just so good. I love this book a lot. It’s a great book. I highly recommend this to everyone.

My only complaint is, Emily Austin’s characters need better names.

Last, I hope she keeps getting bright colorful covers for her novels, I think it’s funny.

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