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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emily austins books always feel so liminal and her mcs are so fucking weird and fucked up. this is only my second book of hers but it stands. i want to read eitrwsbd again.
she is a fucking phenominal writer. little details i figure were purely coincidence and just something fun i noticed actually got brought up (im talking specifically about two characters names being similar)
not to mention the reveal(?) toward the end of the book is so set up so well! you wonder the whole book what happened and then she actually says it and i was genuinely shocked - it made complete sense as soon as it was revealed.
i will admit i didnt like this one as much as eitrwsbd, and the ending felt kind of not complete. that doesnt mean this book was any less enjoyable.
she is a fucking phenominal writer. little details i figure were purely coincidence and just something fun i noticed actually got brought up (im talking specifically about two characters names being similar)
not to mention the reveal(?) toward the end of the book is so set up so well! you wonder the whole book what happened and then she actually says it and i was genuinely shocked - it made complete sense as soon as it was revealed.
i will admit i didnt like this one as much as eitrwsbd, and the ending felt kind of not complete. that doesnt mean this book was any less enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Ableism, Stalking
Minor: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting facts about space by Emily Austin follows 26 year old Enid, who is obsessed with true crime podcasts and has a phobia of bald men. Already from the first page, I knew I would be in for a ride. There’s not an easy way to read “I wish I could molt and shed the outer layer of myself. I want to become someone fresh. I feel rotten; I feel like my insides are curdled and crawling with parasites.” and put it down after.
Some people have this tiny voice in their head, crawling and migrating, that tries to convince them they are a shell for something inherently bad. That is Enid’s parasite; the weird little bug she thinks she keeps in the place where most people keep their souls. The parasite controls her body and brain like a Trojan horse. According to her, it crunches on what remains of what’s good of her. The parasite in her makes her worry that at any moment, she is liable to be taken over by her parasite, and she will hurt someone. It urges her to yell at her mother, to scream and be mean. With her love for crime podcasts, she feeds the ‘parasite’ and keeps it abay. “Rather than actually unleash any anger and risk ruining Eugene’s dinner, I feed the evil bug in my heart depraved stories. I distract myself and soothe him in a little bath of horrors until my anger simmers and my molars unclench.”
“As I got older, the imagination games morphed into daydreams. I invented interactions between me and my dad, as well as other people. I did it so often that it’s now hard for me to distinguish between real memories and memories of scenarios I made up.”
The only real person Enid has always been accompanied with is her mom. They share a delightful bond, being left by the same man. We quickly see how Enid calls or texts her mother facts about space, especially when she’s stressed. Only later on do I figure out that the space facts aren’t just a distraction for Enid. (THE DAYS SHE DOESN’T WEAR LIPSTICK)
My favorite aspect of their mother-daughter relationship is when Enid thinks of her mom to the sun, while also having said earlier that she would worship the sun (if she was the only person ever and lived in the woods). It compares the protection ancient people saw in the sun to a daughter looking at her mother.
“You and I, even. You knew that, right? Right now, we're in space. Look at us. We're in space, Mom. Isn't that something? Why are you sad?”
This book was overall an astonishing read, from its portrayal of paranoia and autism. Seeing Enid's relationship between her sisters bloom was also great to read. For example, when she started referring to them as sisters instead of half-sisters.
“Can you tell I have a parasite?”
I laugh. "No. Can you see mine?”
Some people have this tiny voice in their head, crawling and migrating, that tries to convince them they are a shell for something inherently bad. That is Enid’s parasite; the weird little bug she thinks she keeps in the place where most people keep their souls. The parasite controls her body and brain like a Trojan horse. According to her, it crunches on what remains of what’s good of her. The parasite in her makes her worry that at any moment, she is liable to be taken over by her parasite, and she will hurt someone. It urges her to yell at her mother, to scream and be mean. With her love for crime podcasts, she feeds the ‘parasite’ and keeps it abay. “Rather than actually unleash any anger and risk ruining Eugene’s dinner, I feed the evil bug in my heart depraved stories. I distract myself and soothe him in a little bath of horrors until my anger simmers and my molars unclench.”
“As I got older, the imagination games morphed into daydreams. I invented interactions between me and my dad, as well as other people. I did it so often that it’s now hard for me to distinguish between real memories and memories of scenarios I made up.”
The only real person Enid has always been accompanied with is her mom. They share a delightful bond, being left by the same man. We quickly see how Enid calls or texts her mother facts about space, especially when she’s stressed. Only later on do I figure out that the space facts aren’t just a distraction for Enid. (THE DAYS SHE DOESN’T WEAR LIPSTICK)
My favorite aspect of their mother-daughter relationship is when Enid thinks of her mom to the sun, while also having said earlier that she would worship the sun (if she was the only person ever and lived in the woods). It compares the protection ancient people saw in the sun to a daughter looking at her mother.
“You and I, even. You knew that, right? Right now, we're in space. Look at us. We're in space, Mom. Isn't that something? Why are you sad?”
This book was overall an astonishing read, from its portrayal of paranoia and autism. Seeing Enid's relationship between her sisters bloom was also great to read. For example, when she started referring to them as sisters instead of half-sisters.
“Can you tell I have a parasite?”
I laugh. "No. Can you see mine?”
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
I think this is now my favorite book. I felt as if I was reading an alternate reality version of myself. Enid’s inner monologues sound like mine. It felt like reading my own thoughts at various times.
I now feel inclined to send my mom space facts whenever I am thinking of her.
I now feel inclined to send my mom space facts whenever I am thinking of her.
Enid is an autistic lesbian who is hyper vigilant to the point of paranoia and believes that she is the worst person alive. and in every way she is just like me
emotional
funny
reflective
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
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just a really positive, lighthearted, relatable book about mental illness and complicated families and generally being a mess in early adulthood. Enid is one of the most relatable characters I have read in a long time and not in a way that makes me then feel bad about myself, and I think it’s just because she feels so normal. Even though she thinks she is the most abnormal person there is. Just a comforting, fast read that is a helpful reminder that I will likely figure things out.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes