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A review by kentanapages
On Earth as It Is on Television by Emily Jane
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I was really interested in this book from the first time I came across the title, I think when scrolling through Goodreads giveaways. The cover has that modern pop scifi feel that I enjoy, the title grabbed my attention, and I love checking out a debut female scifi author. Had I known there would be sentient cats, I would have been even faster to click request on the eARC :)
I enjoyed a lot about this book, including the preface, which starts by introducing a brother and sister I immediately felt emotionally connected to, and then they have a brutal accident and you're left knowing this will be part of the story somehow and looking to draw those connections. I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened to those characters. There was some fun humor, which made more sense later in the book, and overall I think the idea was a great premise and enjoyed the actual plot a lot. I always enjoy sentient cats, and a satirical look at society.
Unfortunately there was also a lot about this that I struggled with. The first 3/4 of the book was really hard to get through, and things felt dragged out to me. I found myself tempted to skim a lot, which is rare for me, because I wanted to not give up on the book but I was not enjoying the ride. There is a LOT of dialogue, and it just wasn't my style; it felt unrealistic and cheesy, funny in a forced and obvious way, with redundant jokes. I found myself rolling my eyes more than laughing at a lot of the dialogue, including that of the cats. It read kind of like a sitcom to me, which as I reflect seems likely intentional and quite on theme. I know everyone has different preferences and I do think this will work well for some people; however it just didn't work for me.
I started to get a sense for what was coming after the halfway mark and that kept me going, but really I didn't fully enjoy reading this until the last 25%. If I wasn't reading this to review it, and felt an obligation because I'd requested it on NetGalley, I likely would have DNF'd. I think it's good to know this is a risk for readers, since from other reviews it does sound like folks are largely glad they stuck it out, but not everyone will.
I also found some of the stereotypes that were reinforced (including but not limited to the best wife/mother as the one who doesn't sleep much, manages to stay super fit while working a prestigious job and baking for everyone all the time) problematic and difficult. I can see that this was done cheekily, and (spoiler here!) we find out that it's really aliens among us who are these overachievers who need less sleep and seem to be good at everything and can eat what they want and stay fit. I think I see the point, but the way these characters are revered and are basically the heroes of this story doesn't change the fact that it still reinforces that individuals with these traits ARE amazing and are the best and their families and friends love them the most for these things. It felt to me like, intentional or not, it really undermined feminist notions that matter to me. It felt like the message was: you have to be an alien to be the ideal woman/man/human and meet these standards! But also, these ARE the ideals and they are how we define worthy so let's revere these aliens for being so amazing, rather than question this system that holds us to impossible standards.
There was also some brief commentary on capitalism that I think was intended as a sly satirical observation, but again the way it was presented felt to me to sort of reinforce the way the privileged can look at systems that harm some folks and see choice, because privilege comes with choice. This book was meant largely to be fun and fluffy so I know some would say I'm overthinking this, but it just felt uncomfortable to me reading some of this, because of the way "lighthearted" things can often still reinforce harmful systems and beliefs.
In short: great premise, fresh take on the invading aliens trope (which is hard to do!), love the ending, some of the humor was really enjoyable. Personally I think I would have enjoyed this more as a short story with a lot less dialogue and less of a sitcom feel, so I also am likely not the ideal target reader for what the author was intending. I know this is a debut novel and I am open to reading more by Emily Jane!
I enjoyed a lot about this book, including the preface, which starts by introducing a brother and sister I immediately felt emotionally connected to, and then they have a brutal accident and you're left knowing this will be part of the story somehow and looking to draw those connections. I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened to those characters. There was some fun humor, which made more sense later in the book, and overall I think the idea was a great premise and enjoyed the actual plot a lot. I always enjoy sentient cats, and a satirical look at society.
Unfortunately there was also a lot about this that I struggled with. The first 3/4 of the book was really hard to get through, and things felt dragged out to me. I found myself tempted to skim a lot, which is rare for me, because I wanted to not give up on the book but I was not enjoying the ride. There is a LOT of dialogue, and it just wasn't my style; it felt unrealistic and cheesy, funny in a forced and obvious way, with redundant jokes. I found myself rolling my eyes more than laughing at a lot of the dialogue, including that of the cats. It read kind of like a sitcom to me, which as I reflect seems likely intentional and quite on theme. I know everyone has different preferences and I do think this will work well for some people; however it just didn't work for me.
I started to get a sense for what was coming after the halfway mark and that kept me going, but really I didn't fully enjoy reading this until the last 25%. If I wasn't reading this to review it, and felt an obligation because I'd requested it on NetGalley, I likely would have DNF'd. I think it's good to know this is a risk for readers, since from other reviews it does sound like folks are largely glad they stuck it out, but not everyone will.
I also found some of the stereotypes that were reinforced (including but not limited to the best wife/mother as the one who doesn't sleep much, manages to stay super fit while working a prestigious job and baking for everyone all the time) problematic and difficult. I can see that this was done cheekily, and (spoiler here!)
There was also some brief commentary on capitalism that I think was intended as a sly satirical observation, but again the way it was presented felt to me to sort of reinforce the way the privileged can look at systems that harm some folks and see choice, because privilege comes with choice. This book was meant largely to be fun and fluffy so I know some would say I'm overthinking this, but it just felt uncomfortable to me reading some of this, because of the way "lighthearted" things can often still reinforce harmful systems and beliefs.
In short: great premise, fresh take on the invading aliens trope (which is hard to do!), love the ending, some of the humor was really enjoyable. Personally I think I would have enjoyed this more as a short story with a lot less dialogue and less of a sitcom feel, so I also am likely not the ideal target reader for what the author was intending. I know this is a debut novel and I am open to reading more by Emily Jane!