Light from Other Stars

Erika Swyler is a talented writer and has a poetic take in “Light From Other Stars” on loss and grief, searching for a sense of belonging, friendship, and exploration. And it's partially set in 1986, which is a year I remember well and fondly. Yet, I found the book difficult to get through (and I've been on a reading kick the past 2 months). Not because the aforementioned topics are weighty and tough, but because the action seemed to move through sand, although much of it mixed a lot faster.

Nice shout out to Peaches ‘n Cream Barbie, one of my favorites in 1986.

I really liked the science parts of this book. Swyler always does such a lovely job creating an atmospheric feel with her writing, and this book is no exception. My only critique would be that this book, up until the last 20 or so pages, is just SAD. Nothing but bad things happen and it was hard to read sometimes, although the story was ultimately a rewarding one.

This is science fiction, with much emphasis on the science, so be prepared to engage your brain muscles as you read. It's also a story of loss, and loneliness, and the lies we tell in hopes of saving others, so don't be surprised when it tugs on your heart muscles as well. Thoughtful, sometimes painful. One I could read again.

👍🏼Pick It: if you're looking for the softer, genre cousin to science fiction.
👎🏼Skip It: If you want the zip! and zing! of space and time travel.

I came for the sci-fi, I stayed for the writing. Swyler has the ability to scale a desaturated wisp to a blinding stadium of color.

The problem is, ALFOS is a mosh pit of the realistic (Challenger crash) and the fantastical.
Trying to guide readers through the “fi” of sci-fi, while maintaining the standard of prose was too daunting.

Swyler took 300 pages for the character narrative, slogging a 100-page plot through like a consequence.

I really hope Swyler's next work is grounded (literally) in what she does best: a feelings-forward, character-focused story.

Sometimes you go into a story with a certain expectation. I approached Light from Other Stars this way. Somewhere I'd gotten the impression that this was novel was going be the mind-bending what-the-hell-just-happened I found in James Renner's The Man from Primrose Lane (if you want your mind blown, read that novel.) Light from Other Stars isn't what I expected, but it's still intriguing, intelligent, and sometimes a little fun.

Light from Other Stars takes place largely in Florida in the days after the space shuttle Challenger explosion. Eleven-year-old Nedda's father is a scientist working on an entropy experiment at the time of the accident. Enter science. Science was never one of my stronger subjects in school, so consider my ignorance when I say that for me this was big-s Science fiction. The narrative occasionally switches to a space craft in the future, but I'll just leave that part a mystery.

Even though Light from Other Stars is heavy on the science, it's also a very effective in showing the human condition. Love, grief, birth, mortality, individuality, and family are all explored in quite some depth. The characters and the plot both show expert craftsmanship, but they probably do get a bit lost in the technical jargon. That said, Swyler is not an author who talks down to her readers. The explanations for the more scientific elements of the story are done in a largely organic way.

The one thing that I think would've made this book stand out more is if the big reveal (don't worry, no spoilers here) had been less obvious earlier in the novel. Now we're dipping into questions of Authorial Intention versus Reader's Interpretation. Perhaps Swyler was not seeking a big reveal. Maybe she wanted it to be obvious from page one. That's a possibility, but she also never comes right out and says it, so it gives the impression that she's trying to hide something. This results in high expectations for what will be a letdown for many.

Light from Other Stars is certainly one of the more imaginative Literary novels I've read in recent times. I would've gladly embraced some more surprise in these pages, but the exploration of time and the human heart made for an excellent journey.