Emily R. Austin's sophomore novel packs just as mighty of a punch as her debut, EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM WILL SOMEDAY BE DEAD. Austin's protagonist is another anxious lesbian just trying to get through the day; queen of relatability! INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT SPACE is a slow-burning fire that completely envelops you by its end. Austin explores love in a multitude of ways that are almost certain to make you cry. You definitely shouldn't miss this one.

It is important to note that most of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the book's subject matters & those detailed in my review overwhelming. I suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters that contain reflections on self-harm, attempted suicide, parental neglect, grief, parental abandonment, mental illness, & others.

There is a particular aspect of fanaticism that renders the make-believe frightful. There is no looming monster under our bed, nor any perched ghoul on the roof. The part of our brain that engages with the imagery of these tales utilizes its power to remind us that the scales & oozing secretions could be present; they could become real threats, if, at any point, the brain decides upon a narrative shift. In a world where there are no fantastic beasts, we rely on the sharpened edges of stories, crafted from the sedentary troubles of terrible humans to rivulet the dark of night & send us tormented under folded sheets.

The experiences of those around us shape the world in which we live, without our realizing that the craftsman’s hands are ailed. When the reader is introduced to Enid she is painted with crusted colours. The main character of this book is insecure; she has no fixture; she is on the precipice of snapping; she is uncertain. Like in many of the books I have enjoyed reading, the author has offered a morsel of time for the reader to masticate. Enid’s insecurity is an Everest, making her person fragile porcelain where once she was a stone.

When Enid was young her life became a secret. It is never very pleasant to speak on things that hurt us & for Enid, her quotidian was filled with gelatinous beasts salivating in every corner. Her father, a man she hardly knew, had a short stint relationship with her mother; they became pregnant; Enid’s existence in the world knew him only as a shadow.

Her father chose to invest his time with a woman who became a mother to two (2) daughters. As the story goes, what was first is now last & by the time it mattered, Enid’s father was dead in the ground & the cacophony of women left behind, responsible for healing the wounds he inflicted.

While reading this book, I was reminded of what it promised me; a story that would comfort readers—the worst thing they had ever done wasn’t so bad. Perhaps it was pessimistic to believe that this story couldn’t achieve what it set out to do. I have been in the world too long to fall prey to the eagerness of what is promised; we are not always so lucky as to see our hopes transform into concrete reality. Rather than take my apprehension personally, this story continued on its course. I am glad that I was allowed along for the ride.

Enid’s life is a strange one & that is not because it is unusual. Rather, Enid’s life is strange because it is palpably tangible. In Enid, I found much of myself & if readers allow for the discomfort of personal recognition, they might too. I can imagine that for Enid, living life in a house that was never a home was difficult, especially because her mother attempted to make it into a place of safety. Yet, both became enshrined by despair; her mother was no match for her mania & Enid, was left alone in the hallways awaiting the latch of the lock holding the bedroom door separating them, in place.

This story deals primarily with mental illness & disorders. Nearly each of the characters is plagued by some form of torment. In this way, Austin has allowed her story to be real. The reality is that many people experience the repercussions of intergenerational trauma; what the reader is faced with in this book is the beginning of what might surely become a long series of pains.

It was admirable to see each woman within this mangled family tree attempt to prevent what they felt could happen. The daughters brought into the world by loving mothers & an angry absent father, offered to each other the promise of comradely. Their efforts were wrought with distress but, most of all, hope.

I was perhaps enamoured with Enid because she experienced much of what I have. Her paranoia & distressing anxiety were home to me in my childhood body & as I grew I became aware that the world was perhaps filled with colours in a palette I could not see with my eyes.

How the author incorporates horrible things into her characters is earnest & I applaud her for that. I am hopeful that that Austin did not live these experiences firsthand hand though, the delicate nature of her storytelling slithers with the possibility that she sees in the dark too. Regardless, her ability to present eager or apprehensive readers will Enid & her life make her an author I will revisit until she decides to write no more; with shelves settled from the stories she held inside.

The exploration of trauma & the denigration of brain matter as a consequence of illness is no easy feat to present. Readers might find themselves utterly upset by the story. It would be entirely acceptable for them to place the book aside, never to weave their hands across its back, ever again.

That is to say; this story is upsetting. Enid is suffering & unable to find her way but, at the same time, she is strong & dangerously forceful in keeping her place in this world. The fact that she climbs through her window to avoid someone, or that she refuses to speak frankly with her mother about her feelings does not dismiss her essence; Enid is a force.

I have written some points relating to Enid’s experiences & the story itself circles these in ways that feel rather trite to recount in a review. I have sat with my thoughts as they relate to this story for some time; what do I think, how do I feel, what is there to say? There are few stories among the thousands that I would simply pass on to others, wanting them rather to read what is written than hear what I have to say.

Austin has a strangely melodramatic way of writing. Her characters are unlikeable & mean; sometimes altogether annoying. Yet, page after page, I could not loosen my grip, because they were human beings too.

The romantic entanglements that took place as a backdrop to the main plot added a layer of dimension that felt authentic. One might relinquish their fear that Austin has simply added lettering for the sake of checking boxes or shades of blue to confuse the sky. Every aspect of this story made sense in that it was relevant.

When Enid sent templated text messages; when she sat in the shower with the person who turned out to be the love of her life; when her mother wore lipstick; & when she thought about space & time; she was Enid & the reader grew to know her as one might any other important person in their life.

Though I have added many sentences of praise, I would not advocate for this book for all readers. I will not shy away from saying that a handful of readers will miss the beauty in this book entirely. I admit that it is not my place to decide for them what is worth their time & what moral they should take away from careful writing. However, it is my place to state that this is a beautiful book. The facet that renders it lovely is the innate & intricate care that the author has brought forth. Readers are lucky to grasp the bind that holds love; the likes of which never disappear for it is in ink & stone.

Where does this leave me & how might I conclude a review that is certainly lacking? While reading this book, I knew that I would not be able to compile all that is of value from this book into a single review. I found Enid’s earnest & tender recollections about special & interesting facts about space familiar & nostalgic.

I wanted to whisper through the pages that life would not be unkind to her forever; tomorrow she would meet the reprieve she surely needed, as I saw it coming down the lines of chapters formatted just for me. Somehow, this experience has left a part of me within the pages.

Humanity is a harsh critic, I will never lie & say that all of my reviews are kind; I have been harsh—nearly cruel in my comparisons & analogies. Words are very important to me. In the silence of hours, the twinkle of the eyes or the breath of a syllable can bring me back to the life I am leading. I have always found books to be among my most precious possessions; the discoveries I cherish like gemstones. When a reader meets a character like Enid whose life is torn apart by what she cannot describe & she is faced with people who cannot see her, the days of existence are very long; I say this from experience.

Austin’s talent for truth & terrible honesty will have readers giggling & gruesomely sad. Enid is an innocent child; an innocent adult; she is an innocent person who placates herself by behaving as a phantom in her life. I cannot fault her for this. She is intelligent & hopeful; she is thoughtful & eager; she tries her best & sometimes, she doesn’t even do that. But above all the mistakes & her horrible incomprehension of existence, Enid remembers the stars & the galaxies & she thinks of them when she wants the people she loves to know that, she is thinking of them too.

The most beautiful thing we have while alive is the knowledge that the entire universe is of its own; we are within it like a beating heart. Enid’s social claustrophobia & transferred revulsion stemming from the shadows in her memory are not cancer to her cells; she has healed in the only way she knows how.

Therefore, I must ask; Who is this story for? Which reader will read the tale of a woman sick from the dark confines inside? Who among us will be eager to know Enid & her flaws? Me.

Ultimately, this is a story about a woman who was once a child in a home where she was scared. Her fear manifested itself into paranoia & a demented sense of self. The loathing murmur of certainty has eaten her alive; no one is seated at the table to witness her cannibalistic demise.

The reader has arrived at what is possibly the most ideal time. The reader will walk through the halls of a silent home, where behind the doors people are crying; terror brooding; rouge wasting; babies growing; the sky darkening; laundry sagging; dishes moulding; & a clock ticking the time passing as though counting down to the final moment when Enid remembers who she is.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, & Emily Austin for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I struggled with how to rate this but ultimately, I enjoyed this more than I thought! While some of the inner monologue felt a bit chaotic, the main character really grew on me and I didn’t want to put this down! Bingeable, tender and often funny. The writing was superb. I was rooting for our quirky protagonist from the beginning, even when she was on the verge of a menty B for the entirety of the book.

Another amazing book by Emily Austin !! I feel like Emily Austin books are great for people who get a little bored with the no-plot aspect of lit fic. They have everything I love about lit fic with some added appeal, drama & humour that makes you want to keep reading. I flew through this and I know I’ll be reading everything Emily Austin writes going forward. I highly recommend picking this up

Emily Austin returns with a wonderful second novel, Interesting Facts About Space. In a similar vein to Everyone In This Room will Someday be Dead, Austin tackles a serial dater and listener of true crime podcasts. Who is thrown into confronting her fears that someone is following her, her fears of bald men, and her fears about herself.

It is a novel of self-discovery told from the perspective of Enid, who works for the Space Agency and spouts off facts about space to self-soothe. Worried about her mother, her neighbor, and who might have broken into her house, Enid must grapple with her fears.

Told through true crime podcast snippets, facts about space, rewatching your teenage YouTube channel, and confronting yourself. Austin writes a beautiful, thought-provoking novel.

This is not a coming-of-age novel. It is not an unreliable narrator. It is a journey of self-discovery and acceptance. It is filled with a love of family despite the fear Enid has toward connections. It is insightful and touching.

Thank you Atria Books for the arc!!


4.5 🌟— emily austin is proving to be an amazing writer with her second novel!! this book, similar to “everyone in this room will someday be dead” is about a severely anxious woman whose mental state begins to affect her life to the point where she needs to make a change. this one has less of a structured plot but it’s so funny and fast paced you don’t even notice. austin’s writing is so addictive i can’t wait for her next one!!

Emily Austin has done it again. Run to request this from Netgalley and then run to your local book store to get a physical copy when it's released next month.

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.