Atmosphere
By Taylor Jenkins Reid
Atmosphere by Tayor Jenkins Reid follows Joan Goodwin as she pursues her dream to become one of the first classes to include women for NASA’s space shuttle program. The ingredients are there for a great read: sapphic romance, historical fiction, NASA.
While this book has received rave reviews (currently boasts a 4.33 stars on Good Reads), I gave this three stars. Redeeming qualities include the fast pace, gripping scenes, and centering of a sapphic romance. I just could not get past how overall commercial this book felt. To caveat, not every sapphic story needs to be on the fringes but characters were left wanting depth, story lines begged for some complexity, and some story lines were given too many pages while others needed more.
Characters and depth: We are introduced to Joan Goodwin weaved into and after a harrowing first chapter that lands you at Mission Control in the midst of a space shuttle malfunction. We then go back to the beginning and learn Joan is a Physics and Astronomy professor, painter, casual pianist. She has a niece, Francis whose mother falls into the “I had a baby too young on my own and now want to live the life I should have had” trope. Once at NASA, Joan meets Vanessa and a host of other astronaut prospects that bond as they train and aspire to be astronauts assigned to a mission. Vanessa’s darker past is alluded to but we never get too deep. The characters are likable and colorful but ultimately two dimensional.
Story lines: There are three main threads here: (1) the relationship between Joan and Vanessa, (2) Joan’s relationship with Francis, (3) the friendships and training at NASA. The structure is clear and approachable - but not surprising. It feels like a film adaptation already edited. Some story lines lingered too long while others needed more pages.
Despite my three-stars, this is an important book. It is a sapphic romance written by one of the most popular authors today. Perhaps this is the first book a reader might have picked up that centers a sapphic relationship.
SOFT COVER take: this might not be the most layered novel you’ll ever read, but it’s an approachable one about a queer relationship and that makes it worth discussing.
