Scan barcode
softboiledegg's review
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I want to hold peoples beating hearts in my hands. I want to see all their arteries... I want to trick them into loving me. I want to test whether I can be loved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Homophobia
bisexualbookshelf's review
challenging
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Emily Austin’s "Interesting Facts About Space" introduces readers to the quirky, anxiety-ridden, and darkly humorous character of Enid. From the very first pages, Enid’s personality leaps off the page, captivating readers with her relatable fears and unique coping mechanisms. While the book grapples with complex themes like PTSD and autism, it also dives into the emotional intricacies of human relationships and personal growth.
Enid’s character is a rich tapestry of contradictions. Her anxiety and dark humor make her both relatable and compelling, while her paranoia and morally dubious choices—like having an affair with another woman’s wife—add layers of complexity. Austin’s portrayal of Enid’s struggle to navigate her various roles to appear 'normal' is particularly poignant and indicative of autistic traits, which resonates deeply with neurodivergent readers.
One of the most touching aspects of the novel is Enid's relationship with her mother. This bond provides a stabilizing force in Enid’s tumultuous life, highlighting the importance of familial support in the face of mental health challenges. The depiction of Enid’s mother’s grief and her efforts to raise a disabled, neurodivergent child on her own adds a layer of emotional depth to the story.
The narrative’s structure, however, is a bit uneven. The first third of the book feels overloaded with various subplots—Enid's half-sisters, her job, her mother, her paranoia, her self-loathing, and her dating life. This initially makes the story feel disjointed and slow to start. Yet, once the focus sharpens,particularly around the second date with Polly when Joan appears , the pace and tension build effectively.
While the book excels in many areas, it also stumbles in some significant ways.The subplot involving Vin, who secretly stalks Enid under the guise of concern, is particularly problematic. This revelation feels like an unnecessary twist that undermines the book’s earlier achievements. Vin's actions, which include gaslighting and dismissing Enid’s fears, are deeply troubling and, for some readers, can overshadow the book’s positive aspects.
Another point of contention is the portrayal of Cognitive Reprocessing Therapy (CRT). As a trauma therapist in training, I find this therapy controversial due to its potential to retraumatize patients by forcing them to confront walled-off memories. While Austin’s representation might be accurate to her or Enid’s experience, it risks misleading readers about the general efficacy and safety of such treatments.
In summary, "Interesting Facts About Space" shines in its representation of autism and PTSD, and its exploration of Enid's inner world and relationships. The dark humor and unique quirks of Enid’s character are major strengths. However, the problematic subplot with Vin and the contentious depiction of therapy methods detract from the overall impact. Despite these flaws, Austin's ability to create a deeply felt, introspective narrative makes this book a worthwhile read for those interested in complex, character-driven stories.
📖 Recommended For: Readers who enjoy character-driven narratives, Fans of dark humor and quirky characters, Admirers of psychological and emotional depth, Those interested in autism and PTSD representation, Lovers of intricate and metaphorical storytelling.
🔑 Key Themes: Mental Health and Coping Mechanisms, Familial Relationships and Support, Paranoia and Intuition, Self-Discovery and Personal Growth, Autistic and PTSD Experiences.
Enid’s character is a rich tapestry of contradictions. Her anxiety and dark humor make her both relatable and compelling, while her paranoia and morally dubious choices—like having an affair with another woman’s wife—add layers of complexity. Austin’s portrayal of Enid’s struggle to navigate her various roles to appear 'normal' is particularly poignant and indicative of autistic traits, which resonates deeply with neurodivergent readers.
One of the most touching aspects of the novel is Enid's relationship with her mother. This bond provides a stabilizing force in Enid’s tumultuous life, highlighting the importance of familial support in the face of mental health challenges. The depiction of Enid’s mother’s grief and her efforts to raise a disabled, neurodivergent child on her own adds a layer of emotional depth to the story.
The narrative’s structure, however, is a bit uneven. The first third of the book feels overloaded with various subplots—Enid's half-sisters, her job, her mother, her paranoia, her self-loathing, and her dating life. This initially makes the story feel disjointed and slow to start. Yet, once the focus sharpens,
While the book excels in many areas, it also stumbles in some significant ways.
Another point of contention is the portrayal of Cognitive Reprocessing Therapy (CRT). As a trauma therapist in training, I find this therapy controversial due to its potential to retraumatize patients by forcing them to confront walled-off memories. While Austin’s representation might be accurate to her or Enid’s experience, it risks misleading readers about the general efficacy and safety of such treatments.
In summary, "Interesting Facts About Space" shines in its representation of autism and PTSD, and its exploration of Enid's inner world and relationships. The dark humor and unique quirks of Enid’s character are major strengths. However, the problematic subplot
📖 Recommended For: Readers who enjoy character-driven narratives, Fans of dark humor and quirky characters, Admirers of psychological and emotional depth, Those interested in autism and PTSD representation, Lovers of intricate and metaphorical storytelling.
🔑 Key Themes: Mental Health and Coping Mechanisms, Familial Relationships and Support, Paranoia and Intuition, Self-Discovery and Personal Growth, Autistic and PTSD Experiences.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Infidelity, Abandonment, and Bullying
Moderate: Homophobia and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide attempt and Self harm
literaryolive's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Self harm
dev921's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Grief, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Self harm, and Injury/Injury detail
ehwhateverest's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book feels personal. The rambling of a paranoid lesbian that somehow felt relatable despite not having all that much in common with this character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Abandonment, Death of parent, Homophobia, Chronic illness, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual content
dogswithnogs's review against another edition
challenging
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Stalking
randeerebecca's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Moderate: Outing, Abandonment, and Pregnancy
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm
jen_sometimes's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Death of parent
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
skywhales's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
oh my god. like oh my god. emily austin i will swear my loyalty to you forever if you want just say the word
i like characters who are very different from me a lot of the time. there are a lot of ways to enjoy characters. but i don't think i've felt seen the way i felt seen reading this book in my entire adult life. enid is a lesbian with a weird relationship to gender who's probably autistic. she plans out her social interactions and replays them in her head later. she shares fun facts with her mom. she's worried she's a terrible person. she's a different person to everyone in her life. she overthinks and lets her anxiety take over and has weird and bad and maladaptive coping mechanisms and god i loved her. i genuinely felt my breath taken away by how much i related to her at times.
honestly every character in this felt so real and genuine and likable (mostly) with their own quirks and flaws and i found myself finding something to like in all of them. particularly polly. sometimes it's hard for me to see what the narrator sees in a love interest but i adored her. she wasn't perfect but that just made it all the easier to see why she fell for the equally strange and imperfect enid. and this won't make sense until you're at that bit but "i love weird little bugs, remember?" made me exhale and close the book and hold it to my chest because i had such big feelings.
god. fuck. i think i also really like books that are depressing, and sad, and deal with fucked up shit, but end in a way that reminds us that despite all that, things can be good. and we can be good and we can get better. my problem with a lot of "cozy" fiction is that it feels afraid to deal in dark topics in more than a few brief mentions, or else dark topics come out of nowhere and feel so shocking that they throw you out of the narrative entirely. i Love, however, books that are dark and sad and occasionally get worse before they get better but they do get better. i think it might hit harder when we actually see the protagonist having to fight so hard for that improvement.
also i have a lot of mostly negative feelings about true crime stuff and was wary about that going in but i think it was not only tied very well to the character but the worst elements of it were discussed and touched upon in a way i was worried they wouldn't be.
i like characters who are very different from me a lot of the time. there are a lot of ways to enjoy characters. but i don't think i've felt seen the way i felt seen reading this book in my entire adult life. enid is a lesbian with a weird relationship to gender who's probably autistic. she plans out her social interactions and replays them in her head later. she shares fun facts with her mom. she's worried she's a terrible person. she's a different person to everyone in her life. she overthinks and lets her anxiety take over and has weird and bad and maladaptive coping mechanisms and god i loved her. i genuinely felt my breath taken away by how much i related to her at times.
honestly every character in this felt so real and genuine and likable (mostly) with their own quirks and flaws and i found myself finding something to like in all of them. particularly polly. sometimes it's hard for me to see what the narrator sees in a love interest but i adored her. she wasn't perfect but that just made it all the easier to see why she fell for the equally strange and imperfect enid.
god. fuck. i think i also really like books that are depressing, and sad, and deal with fucked up shit, but end in a way that reminds us that despite all that, things can be good. and we can be good and we can get better. my problem with a lot of "cozy" fiction is that it feels afraid to deal in dark topics in more than a few brief mentions, or else dark topics come out of nowhere and feel so shocking that they throw you out of the narrative entirely. i Love, however, books that are dark and sad and occasionally get worse before they get better but they do get better. i think it might hit harder when we actually see the protagonist having to fight so hard for that improvement.
also i have a lot of mostly negative feelings about true crime stuff and was wary about that going in but i think it was not only tied very well to the character but the worst elements of it were discussed and touched upon in a way i was worried they wouldn't be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Lesbophobia
bookrecsplease's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicide attempt