Staff Review: "The Wanderers" by Meg Howrey

The Wanderers by Meg Howrey was one of the books I most enjoyed reading in 2017, and like The Martian by Andy Weir, I think it's a book that will appeal to readers who ordinarily wouldn't pick up a book described as "science fiction." However, unlike the fast-paced survival story of The Martian, The Wanderers is a quieter, more character-driven book.

In the near future, the multinational company Prime Space (think SpaceX) is in the final stages of preparing a manned mission to Mars. They've selected a crew of potential astronauts who will undergo an incredibly realistic 17-month simulation called Eidolon. Eidolon will serve as a test of both the equipment and the humans involved. The three astronauts serve as our primary narrators, but chapters are also told from the perspectives of four other characters tied to the project.

Helen Kane is a well-respected and experienced American astronaut (I couldn't help but picture Iowa's own Peggy Whitson), and her adult daughter Mireille (a struggling actress) also narrates. Sergei Kuznetsov is a stoic cosmonaut whose ex-wife and teen sons recently moved to the United States, one of whom also narrates. Yoshihiro Tanaka is our third and youngest astronaut and his wife Madoka is the sixth narrator. The final narrator is a Prime Space employee involved in monitoring Eidolon.

Howrey's writing is poetic or dreamlike, and I greatly admire her ability to explore the internal workings of her characters' minds while creating a sense of tension. It's interesting to experience a significant scientific achievement from such an emotional and psychological perspective. There's a lot to chew on in this book, and I think it would make a great selection for a book club discussion.

~Sarah, Adult Services