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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
I really enjoyed this book. Emily Austin has become my favorite author. First with Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead and now Interesting Facts About Space. Her storytelling is so beautiful and it ties up so perfectly at the end. I can’t say enough good things about this book.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
i have such a deep appreciation for emily r. austin for allowing me to sit inside the mind of another autistic person. i often say that i don’t know if what i think or do is “normal” because i can only see inside my mind, and for the duration of austin’s books, i can finally see inside someone else’s, and it is so familiar. regardless of content or plot, throughout every turn that enid takes in ‘interesting facts about space’ i am comforted in knowing that i am not alone in the way i (sometimes mis)interpret situations and go through the world
im going to open this review with some personal notes; im neurodiverse and have anxiety, one of my special interests is true crime, and i was a massive space fan when i was a kid.
reading enid shocked me how close we were personality wise. the whole book felt like looking in a funhouse mirror, and i actually really enjoyed it. enid's character voice was perfect - i loved her relationship w her mum, her sisters and especially with vin and polly.
i also loved how much her family accepted her being queer and into true crime and space. it wouldve been so easy to make this story focused on that, but focusing on enid's trauma was an excellent touch
five stars, and the twist made me sob
reading enid shocked me how close we were personality wise. the whole book felt like looking in a funhouse mirror, and i actually really enjoyed it. enid's character voice was perfect - i loved her relationship w her mum, her sisters and especially with vin and polly.
i also loved how much her family accepted her being queer and into true crime and space. it wouldve been so easy to make this story focused on that, but focusing on enid's trauma was an excellent touch
five stars, and the twist made me sob
guys this was so good. it had me GRIPPED. i love a good exploration of the human condition, especially when we get to see growth!!
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
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin
Is Unfathomable.
If it wasn’t already clear Emily Austin has cemented herself as my favourite author. Hands down, no exception. It is a privilege to read her novels. Interesting Facts About Space is no exception!
We follow Enid as what seems to be little interesting quirks become something more. We start to question if she is a reliable narrator, what is she hiding from us. What is with this phobia? How can she be so fucked up yet work for the National Space Agency? We get all these answers eventually. But the finding out is so well played out, it’s like reading someone’s diary - Austin’s writing is raw and vindicating for all us weirdos.
The thing I struggled with in this novel was Enid. She is unlikeable but also so relatable. Which makes one question a lot of personal things. But at the heart of it, this story is about family, or found family, feeling heard, seen, and mistakes our parents do that impact us in unknown ways. It’s superb! Plus you find out so much about space! And I must say it’s refreshing to read novels that are not explicitly set in Canada, but you know it’s Canada- more from the culture. It’s a lot less “USA” influenced and is devoid of their cultural factors that many other countries do not take into account (eg. guns, certain laws, healthcare costs etc etc).
This novel is for anyone who enjoys Emily Austin, first person diary accounts, LGBTQ2+ stories, family novels and great Canadian literature.