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A review by mstall_
On Earth as It Is on Television by Emily Jane
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
On Earth as It Is on Television by Emily Jane is a knock out of a debut novel. I loved every minute of this story, even the parts that felt "slow" (they didn't feel slow to me at all!). I thought the premise was a phenomenal way to highlight our lived experiences of COVID through the use of UFO's and aliens.
The story follows three main characters: Heather, Blaine and Oliver. One sunny day their lives are completely shaken to the core by the arrival of over a dozen alien spaceships. The spaceships hang around for a bit and then leave -- and yet panic erupts: some people are stockpiling guns and beer, others are throwing social norms to the wind and blowing through all the red lights, and some are trying to keep a grip onto any semblance of normalcy. It reminded me so much of when the world was in a literal pandemic and people where coping by making banana bread and watching Joe Exotic because really, what else do you do? There is a scene in the book where Blaine and his wife, unsure of what to do, decide to throw an alien party and make all the food alien themed. Felt a lot like when everyone was watching Contagion at the start of the pandemic because why not? The book poses the question "what would we do about our lives if we knew there was more out there?" in such a funny and creative way. The story is lighthearted and jovial, the prose is lyrical and fast paced, and the characters are oh so lovable (even when they're not).
Some reviews complain of the kids in the book, and to be fair its a valid complaint -- the thing I disliked the most was Blaine's annoying kids at the end of the book. However, there is a reason they are speaking the way they are and behaving the way they are, and I think some reviewers must have missed that little detail in the book. Someone said they could tell it was written by a millennial due to the kid characters language which I found funny, because millennials really can't catch a fucking break man.
Anyway, I'll definitely read this book again. Overall 4.75 / 5 stars.
The story follows three main characters: Heather, Blaine and Oliver. One sunny day their lives are completely shaken to the core by the arrival of over a dozen alien spaceships. The spaceships hang around for a bit and then leave -- and yet panic erupts: some people are stockpiling guns and beer, others are throwing social norms to the wind and blowing through all the red lights, and some are trying to keep a grip onto any semblance of normalcy. It reminded me so much of when the world was in a literal pandemic and people where coping by making banana bread and watching Joe Exotic because really, what else do you do? There is a scene in the book where Blaine and his wife, unsure of what to do, decide to throw an alien party and make all the food alien themed. Felt a lot like when everyone was watching Contagion at the start of the pandemic because why not? The book poses the question "what would we do about our lives if we knew there was more out there?" in such a funny and creative way. The story is lighthearted and jovial, the prose is lyrical and fast paced, and the characters are oh so lovable (even when they're not).
Some reviews complain of the kids in the book, and to be fair its a valid complaint -- the thing I disliked the most was Blaine's annoying kids at the end of the book. However, there is a reason they are speaking the way they are and behaving the way they are, and I think some reviewers must have missed that little detail in the book. Someone said they could tell it was written by a millennial due to the kid characters language which I found funny, because millennials really can't catch a fucking break man.
Anyway, I'll definitely read this book again. Overall 4.75 / 5 stars.