Went into this thinking it was science fiction. Still enjoyed reading about the scientists but it’s not what I was expecting. Felt a little forced politically at times but probably because I didn’t understand what I was getting into!

Digging Stars follows Athwanda, a girl from Zimbabwe who was abandoned by her father, which left a traumatic impression on her. Tshuma writes beautifully, which kept me engaged in the story. The pacing was slow, and the book was separated into three parts. The first part follows Athwanda on a visit to America to see her father. The remaining parts of the book follow what happens to her after a tragic event, which motivates her to excel in school, get accepted into The Program, and follow in her father’s footsteps. I felt there was a lack of character development, and I just didn’t find the story all that compelling. However, the writing itself is beautiful, and I would probably read anything as eloquently written as Tshuma wrote this novel.

This is a moving story that's as much about the personal experience of immigration as it is a biting commentary on colonialism and space exploration. Half the book is from the main character's POV at 12 years old, and the second half at 24, and Tshuma does an amazing job with those two voices' similarities and differences. The science involved in the story is not hard to understand, and serves both literal and figurative purposes—who owns science, who owns the moon? The story covers brutal family drama as well as the nuances of the relationships between African, African-American, and Indigenous people in the U.S., and for me it all felt uncomfortable in the best way.

Digging Stars follows the story of Athwanda as she follows in her father’s footsteps and enters The Program, moving from Zimbabwe to the United States to study the cosmos. Upon arriving in the US and meeting her classmates, many of her perceptions of the US and her father are challenged.

I thought Athwanda was a well-developed character, especially with her development towards the end of the book. However, I felt the rest of the characters fell flat and I wished there was a little more development for them, especially with Péralte and his relationship with Athwanda, which felt strained at times, but the conflict never felt fully resolved.

Overall, the book was good. I think it could have been a little longer to add in some of the pieces I felt were missing, but I enjoyed the writing and premise.

Thank you NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the ARC.

I desperately wanted to love Novuyo Rosa Tshuma's DIGGING STARS. The premise sounded so interesting, but I just could not get into the story and really struggled to get through it. The writing wasn't engaging enough for me. that being said, maybe it is engaging for someone else. This novel is still important representation and tells a story that should be told.

The narrative of this book is unique. There's not a standard plot, and it instead resembles real life, which I enjoyed. I think my biggest critique of this book is that I wanted more detailed. At the end, I had so many more questions about The Program, Thomas Long, the details of everyone's projects within The Program, Peralte, and Athandwa, herself. I really enjoyed reading about the different cultures' scientific study. The ending of this book was perfectly written; the character development in the last 20 pages was very satisfying. I would be interested in reading a sequel!

Thank you to Novuyo Rosa Tshuma and NetGalley for the ARC!

In Digging Stars, Athwanda struggles to find her place under the shadow of her father's legacy, following in his footsteps from Zimbabwe to America.

There are many things in this near-future realistic fiction that are compelling--indigenous astronomies, post-Colonial Zimbabwe, privatized space exploration. Unfortunately, I didn't feel that these elements were enough to sustain this narrative. Throughout the book, I found myself wishing that the forward momentum would slow enough to allow greater exploration of these complex topics. I felt like I only saw the surface of every issue, which left me feeling unsatisfied.

I found myself facing a similar issue with the characters, as well. While the main character was well-rendered, I felt the characters around her were one-dimensional. The book is first-person and the narrator is quite introspective, so I can understand the choice to leave the other characters flat. Combined with my other issues with lack of depth, though, this stuck out as a larger issue.

At a sentence level, the writing is stellar. Stylistically, I pegged this as an Iowa grad quite quickly, but it's a beautiful example of that kind of writing. While I don't connect with this work, I'd be curious to see the next one.