Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC: Enid is struggling when the book starts: she's full of self loathing, and misunderstandings. She listens to True Crime podcasts constantly. Her dating life is unstable at best. Her relationship with her mother is one of caretaking, concern and deflection. Half deaf, she misinterprets life and feels deeply flawed and unworthy. She constantly watches the YouTube channel she created in her youth, in her search for understanding. Her process of understanding, of building relationships with her mother, half sisters, friends and lovers is a wonderful read. Austin creates a unique protagonist and a compelling story.

I wish I absolutely did not identify with this book. But yet again, i found myself internally thinking YES I KNOW EXACTLY HOW SHE FEELS! I GET THIS!

Listen, If you read and loved the author's previous book, "Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead" you will absolutely 100% no doubt love this one too. Do not hesitate, do not stop and collect $200 or think about buying Park Place, just proceed to the nearest platform in which you just get and read this book.

Was that weird to say? If you said "Yes, what an awkward review" then probably don't read this book. If you didn't ....Well, prepare to read much more eloquent and amusing weird shit some people say. And think. And do. If you decide to pick up this book.

The MC Enid, is probably on the spectrum, is definitely a lesbian, is absolutely paranoid with a strong phobia of bald men, and is obsessed with listening to true crime. And my personal favorite, sharing facts about space with her mother when she's feeling stuff she doesn't really want to feel.

The only thing I DIDNT like, which is funny in a way once you read this book, is that I had to skim over the true crime stuff. Why? Because consuming any amount of true crime is very bad for my own personal mental health and I avoid it at all costs, my therapist gave me that idea. So now for me, the news is out, horror movies are out, reading books about bad shit is out and using true crime as a way of entertainment is most definitely not allowed. It's helped cut down on my anxiety and intrusive thoughts. My wife now watches that kinda stuff when I'm not around. So yeah, I needed to skim past those bits when they came up in this one. Doing so didn't take away anything from the book. Truly. But they had an absolute place in this story. So I wouldnt ever wish they weren't included.

Anyways... If you've gotten this far, did you know that some moons have moons? They're called moon moons.

Go read this book. 5 stars.

If you’ve read Austin’s ’Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead’, you’ll know that Austin writes somewhat quirky stories that feel like they might be based on real stories, if perhaps with a twist.

Enid is a young woman whose father abandoned her and her mother when Enid was relatively young, and this event had quite an impact on both of their lives.

Enid has not had an easy life. Between her father abandoning her mother as well as Enid, being deaf in one ear, and an event that seems to have scarred her emotionally which occurred when she was much younger, Enid finds it difficult to navigate her life. She is a walking encyclopaedia when it comes to discussing outer space, but is somewhat reclusive when it comes to dealing with people she is forced to converse with. She is obsessed with following anything related to true crimes, while also trying to navigate her life with her biological father’s offspring with his second wife, and calls her mother frequently to give her information about some significant occurrence or oddity that relates to the universe. All this while becoming increasingly paranoid, believing that someone has been inside her apartment, and trying to determine who they are and what they want, while at the same time exploring finding someone she can imagine sharing her life with.

It’s a lot for a young woman, let alone one that is already dealing with so much.

I loved how this story evolved from beginning to end, I loved every second of reading this irresistibly quirky, and introspective story of this young woman who feels as though her life is quickly unraveling, loved this story that slowly, but perfectly, comes together at the end.



Pub Date: 30 Jan 2024

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Atria Books

Emily Austin, you will always be famous.

I devoured INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT SPACE in one sitting as soon as I got my NetGalley approval (thank you @atriabooks!). The confirmed thirst I have for @emilyraustinauthor officially cements her as a desert island author for me.

Interesting Facts About Space falls neatly into the "adult bildungsroman" genre that only exists in my mind. Emily Austin's sophomore novel is more sterile than her debut Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, belonging more to the family of Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Where'd You Go, Bernadette. Instead of a plot-driven caper where a curmudgeon's heart thaws with the help of an unlikely band of friends, it's this devastating portrait of a person who wants to be normal and good - and who places people's comfort above her own to reach this goal. Our MC Enid is endearing and lost, like Maame and Ro of Sea Change (two of my Roman Empire debuts from 2023).

Do you wish you were a different person so everyone's lives would be easier? Do you think you are fundamentally bad but only do a medium amount of self-flagellating about it? Are you trying the best you can but wish you didn't have to? This is the cozy mind-hygge for you. It's a mirror and a window into neurodivergence, trauma, and disability without exploiting Enid's otherness.

Interesting Facts About Space is an easy 2023 favorite, and I literally implore you to scoot it to the top of your TBR come January.

Bonus slide: a super scientific "adult woman bildungsroman" quadrant that helped my brain organize why Interesting Facts About Space was the perfect mood read.

“My hobbies include listening to murder stories, having casual lesbian sex, and telling my mom interesting facts about space.”

Enid is OBSESSED with space. She can and will tell you any fact about space she thinks will interest you. She has in irrational fear of bald men but she would never tell you that. When she’s not serial dating she’s listening to her favorite true crime podcast on repeat. Enid is in the processes of trying to create a bond with her two half sisters. Their father died recently and the girls took it as an opportunity to join in on each others lives. While this is all happening Enid finds herself in her first serious relationship, well ever. She begins to feel paranoid and like she’s being watch. She starts to wonder how she can care for others while knowing she has a parasite living in her that makes her a bad person.

This book is filed with so much heart and warmth that Austin is known for. The effortlessly quirky humor that captured my heart with her first book, puts my heart in an absolute chokehold in this book. She touches on everything from depression to the autism spectrum to trauma and does so in such a touching warm manner. Every main character she writes, I see myself in. I am the anxious girl constantly fearing death. I am the anxious girl filled with constant paranoia. She writes such relatable human characters that radiate such warmth. Dare I say she is my new favorite author?

Thank you so much Arita books for this arc I will absolutely be running to my local bookstore on January 30th to get my copy of this book!

I hold a lot of fond memories from reading Austin's first book. It validated many feelings I've had about myself that made me really self-conscious. I felt really relieved when I read it, and it made me feel so much better about myself! So I knew that with this book, I would have a lot of high expectations. And somehow I was still blown away by Interesting Facts about Space! Once again, she takes a deep and intimate look at what it means to be human beings, and all the messy and quite frankly, dark and ugly things that come with that. And of course she always does it in the most wonderful way possible - she just has this way with words!

I didn’t think anything could be better than Austin’s first book, but this one blew me away. The author has a wonderful way of making all the unspeakable, ugly things we think and feel as human beings into pure prose. It was a very therapeutic read.

On a personal note, I am about to be a mom for the first time, and all of my fears as a soon-to-be-mother who has dealt with mental illness and trauma were put to words. I found the book very validating. Thank you to Emily Austin for writing it.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book really took me on a journey. I felt so many things, good and bad. Austin's writing is so engrossing and Enid's paranoia felt so vivid at some points, that I could no longer sit alone in my lab while I was reading this book out of a level of anxiety. I haven't felt that way consuming even any kind of horror content since I was young child.

It was very relatable in some very specific ways(that I am not quite ready to introspect about), while also being very different than anything I've experienced in other ways. However, the writing kept me thoroughly enraptured through both circumstances.

The book also kept surprising me(not necessarily by plot twists, though they are there). It challenged a few assumptions I had made while reading the earlier parts the book and offered a lot of perspective into a variety of topics (I have to specifically mention that I understand true crime fans a lot better now lol). The characters and all their interactions also surprised me with how much depth they all had. Even one who was only on page a short hookup had surprising depth in her interactions. I specifically adored the sisters, but also a most of the cast in general.

To end my rambling review, I loved this book. It's not perfect. I had a few issues here and there, but it was still among one of best things I've read or in general consumed this year. I think I'll keep thinking about this book for quite a while.

Brilliant! I loved the pay off of this ending. The pacing was sharp and I fell into the inner workings of Enid easily. Highly relatable for someone like myself working through grief, trauma, and touch of PTSD.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve had Everyone in this room will someday be dead on my TBR for forever but haven’t gotten around to it, so I went into Interesting facts about space with only a vague idea of what Emily Austin’s writing would be like. Holy hell. The way she creates tension throughout the narrative is so impressive. I felt everything the MC felt, and every little moment landed just as I’m sure Austin meant it to. It’s hard to condense this book down into a succinct review because, while the plot is not complicated, so much happens. I will say that as someone who has lost a lot of memories due to trauma like the mc has, I appreciate the way it was presented. When I’ve seen it in the past, it always seems to be used for shock value and just a way to keep a big reveal hidden. Austin treats it with a little more care, and the way the mc’s memories are uncovered felt very authentic. I’ve seen a lot of people comment on how Austin writes loneliness in EITRWSDBD, and in reading this, I can see what they were talking about. I can’t speak for the other book, as I said, but in this one Austin really draws out that feeling of being isolated even when you’re surrounded by people. Even more, she manages to capture those rare moments when someone reaches inside that isolation and connects with on you on something you thought no one else could understand. All that to say, its some damn good writing. The only reason I’ve rated it 4 instead of 5 stars is that the ending didn’t quite satisfy me. There was something I was missing in the last pages that I can’t even really identify. Still, I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

I am a big fan of Everyone in This Room Will Someday be Dead, so I was excited to see that Emily Austin had a new book on the horizon. With her second novel, she has joined my shortlist of "automatic reads." Which surprises me, because ordinarily, short(ish) novels that are heavy on atmosphere and less on plot are not normally my cup of tea. Which shows you the importance of reading outside your comfort zone every now and then, but I digress.

Like Everyone in This Room Will Someday be Dead, Austin movingly depicts aspects of mental illness (in this case, paranoia) that affect everyday life. Unlike her debut novel, this involves a loving and supportive mother-daughter relationship, which added humor and much-needed comfort to the story. (It's not a wholly emotionally perfect relationship, but what relationship is?) If you loved her first novel, you'll definitely want to read this one.


Many thanks to Atria and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

OCD, anxiety, autistic pals— you will either love this or be v triggered by it (I am both).

I giggled, I gasped, I held my breath. Something about Austin’s books is so comfortingly distressing and I eat it up every time.

The protagonist Enid is a hard of hearing lesbian who is deeply obsessed with space and true crime. She spends her time casually online dating or searching for the bald man she’s convinced is stalking her. She’s also beginning a relationship with her adult half-sisters after their father dies.

Imo Emily Austin gets “sad girl” books exactly right. She knows how to make you feel like you’re in this person’s head and captures all the ridiculous places your mind goes when your anxiety is in override. I appreciated that she also turns her sights on the mental health of our loved ones and how all of our respective brain worms can play off each other.

Similar to EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM, Austin uses her signature vignette-style writing with a balance of heart and tension. So your feelings about her previous work will likely also apply here, though I might like this one a touch more.

big TW for intrusive thoughts!

With Emily Austin's prior book, I felt that the writing was from a disconnect that worked well for some readers and not as well for others. In this one, the writing is choppy and disjointed, but in a way that brings you directly into the paranoid mind of Austin's main character. This book excellently depicts growth, through not only therapy but support/closure in other areas of life. You leave this book feeling hopeful, knowing that even our worst traumas can be healed from. One of my favorite books of this year.

Emily Austin expertly portrays the growth and healing of her main character, leaving this reader feeling hopeful about her own healing. This is a deeply moving work.

thank you to netgalley for this arc, this was my most anticipated read of the year. enid was as much as of delight and as relatable as gilda. although similar, her debut and sophomore novel are also very different character wise and actual content. enid is all consumed with space and the human condition and gilda thinks about death and religion which also be apart of the human condition. sorry about comparing the books because this novel stands on its own but eitrwsbd is my favorite book of all time.

Emily Austen is always a delight and this book is no exception. In fact, I think it's even stronger than everyone in this room will someday be dead, which I loved ofc. This novel is a similar style and voice, but it actually feels more intimate to me, and charming but also darker. The sakes feel deeper, still funny but the pulse cuts right to the bone.

Emily Austin has a talent for crafting such deep, introspective looks at intriguing and relatable characters, and Interesting Facts About Space is no exception!

Highly recommend this one.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Emily Austin books are guaranteed to offer two things every single (and I say this with all the authority of someone who's read exactly 1 novel and 1 novella by her):

1) Dark humor that is unmatched

2) Characters that will make your heart hurt because they are simultaneously unique and uncomfortable relatable

Interesting Facts About Space provides in spades on both accounts. The story follows Enid, a paranoid, half-deaf lesbian woman who works at the space station. She is consistently sharing interesting facts about space with her mom, a woman that has grappled with depression the entirety of Enid's life. She is learning more about the half-sisters she has only become introduced to in adulthood, following their father's death. She engages in a lot of casual dating that often results in her preemptively pulling back before things get serious. Her entanglement with a (unbeknownst to her) married woman complicates this a bit. She also has a crippling phobia of bald men... and suspects one in her building has it out for her. All the while, she is consuming the YouTube videos she created in high school, haunted by their eternal presence online, while also compulsively continuing to watch them.

Needless to say, she's got a lot on her plate. And the amount of anxiety and self-consciousness that Enid experiences while attempting to balance it all is, perhaps, the most human thing I've ever read.

While it didn't hit as hard as Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead (not sure anything can!), this reinforced the fact that I am now and forever a fan of Emily Austin.

This was an interesting book for me. I've not read any of this author's other work, I was intrigued by the name of the book and the cover. First the positives- Austin does a great job in characterization. Each person felt independently real and we saw how Enid perceives and interacts with each of them differently. (An example would be the guilt of her half sisters encouraging her to reach out more to her mother after spending time together- time in which she holds back her true self, unlike with her mother) The writing was clean, and the facts about space were quite interesting.
The negatives for me: The narration by inner monologue as a stream of consciousness isn't my favorite when there's no clear plot. This story is more of a character engagement and exercise in explanation of how Enid interacts with the world. Her experiences are often tinged with an unreliability, a sense of "did that really happen".
My mind is fairly logical and so books that feature a point of view from mentally ill I struggle with.
Overall, if you enjoy meandering stories about life, family and friends, this would be a good fit for you. Despite the negatives for my personal experience, the book is not lacking and I did find myself genuinely concerned about Enid throughout.

emily austin is quickly proving to be one of my favorite authors of all time -- this book was just as captivating as her debut. it was funny, unique, witty, and i truly could not put it down.

Quirky and tender, "Interesting Facts about Space" is a novel with a protagonist you won't soon forget. Recommended for anyone who appreciates flawed and interesting characters. This is an engaging read that will steal your heart. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.