A review by carladelgado
Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton

5.0

Amazing book! The 2020 film led me to this book. I understand that it is only very loosely based on this and it's still pretty good on its own. This book, however, is phenomenal. While some might find it "boring" or feel that the pace is too slow, I believe it was exactly right for the story. It took its time fleshing out the characters' backgrounds and letting the reader get to know them, which is very important because the story revolves around them and how they deal with the present, given their past.

This paragraph has spoilers:

Spoiler

I like how we never really know what caused the evacuation. We don't know whether the three made it back to Earth safely or if they died on impact. If they survived, we don't know how long they lived or what they found. The book is focused on the present and how the two protagonists act when faced with silence, guided by the decisions they made in the past. The parallelism of their stories draw you in. It's very beautiful how they're alike in so many ways and their lives are very closely connected, even though they don't know it.

I don't think I would have read this book if I stumbled upon it at random, so I thank the film for being good and convincing me to read the novel that it was based on. "Good Morning, Midnight" by Lily Brooks-Dalton is a great first read for 2021 and it definitely sets the standard high. I enjoyed it even without a particular inclination in science, and I believe anyone might enjoy it since its major theme is just life itself. It's very well-written, and I really couldn't find the words to describe just how brilliant this piece of literature is. I highly recommend it.