On Earth as It Is on Television
Ratings13
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings13
Average rating3.8
In Emily Jane's rollicking debut, when spaceships arrive and then depart suddenly without a word, the certainty that we are not alone in the universe creates intense uncertainty as to our place within it. Since long before the spaceships' fleeting presence, Blaine has been content to go along with the whims of his supermom wife and half-feral, television-addicted children. But when the kids blithely ponder skinning people to see if they're aliens, and his wife drags them all on a surprise road trip to Disney World, even steady Blaine begins to crack. Half a continent away, Heather floats in a Malibu pool and watches the massive ships hover overhead. Maybe her life is finally going to start. For her, the arrival heralds a quest to understand herself, her accomplished (and oh-so-annoying) stepfamily, and why she feels so alone in a universe teeming with life. Suddenly conscious and alert after twenty catatonic years, Oliver struggles to piece together his fragmented, disco-infused memories and make sense of his desire to follow a strange cat on a westward journey. Embracing the strangeness that is life in the twenty-first century, On Earth as It Is on Television is a rollicking, heartfelt tale of first contact that practically leaps off the planet.
Reviews with the most likes.
Sweet and cute kinda-sorta sci fi. I'd group this in a category with Remarkably Bright Creatures where it is mostly a character/family drama story and using in this case alien invasion as the hook.
This is a pleasant and fun read. Nothing terribly challenging. There's some humor at times but I would have appreciated sharper edges. There isn't much conflict or depth. It's sort of a celebration of humans and America in particular with our bacon, cheese, plastics, and television.
I'd say if you are feeling down and in need of a light, cheery, and slightly oddball book to read, this is a good pick. Also, it helps if you love cats. There's a lot of words thrown at the reader about enjoying life and being human. Probably good advice.
First half of the book is rivetingly speculative, but second half makes an insane shift that's honestly a little too silly and goofy.
Reviews suggested this was sweet. It was. But also lifeless and contrived. The characters go through their motions as the story requires, responding to stimuli, but I never got a sense of why or of who they are. Jane consistently addresses them by role — “the wife,” “the brother,” “the stepchild” — so this distancing is intentional, but why? She writes like she wants us to care for the characters, and she even interjects occasional PSAs on the preciousness of life and relationships, but it’s all Tell, no Show.
Kudos for originality and pacing: some fun creative ideas, with nicely done foreshadowing and reveals. Way too many loose ends and side plots that went nowhere, but hey, first work. Give her time.
