Genre: Science Fiction
Length: 272 pages
Audiobook Length: 8 hours and 39 minutes
First Published: 2017
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Rachael’s Review
Left behind when a worldwide crisis strikes Earth, aging astronomer Augustine finds himself all alone in an Artic observatory with only a forgotten little girl for company. Having run from responsibility all his life, Augie struggles to adapt to caring for Iris while being completely cut off from the world. Meanwhile, a group of astronauts returning from a mission to Jupiter are frightened when all communication with Earth ceases. Slow and enveloping with a focus more on feelings than plot, Good Morning, Midnight is a literary look at the desperate need for connection in a post-apocalyptic world.
Publisher’s Description
Augustine, a brilliant, aging astronomer, is consumed by the stars. For years he has lived in remote outposts, studying the sky for evidence of how the universe began. At his latest posting, in a research center in the Arctic, news of a catastrophic event arrives. The scientists are forced to evacuate, but Augustine stubbornly refuses to abandon his work. Shortly after the others have gone, Augustine discovers a mysterious child, Iris, and realizes that the airwaves have gone silent. They are alone.
At the same time, Mission Specialist Sullivan is aboard the Aether on its return flight from Jupiter. The astronauts are the first human beings to delve this deep into space, and Sully has made peace with the sacrifices required of her: a daughter left behind, a marriage ended. So far the journey has been a success. But when Mission Control falls inexplicably silent, Sully and her crewmates are forced to wonder if they will ever get home.
As Augustine and Sully each face an uncertain future against forbidding yet beautiful landscapes, their stories gradually intertwine in a profound and unexpected conclusion. In crystalline prose, Good Morning, Midnight poses the most important questions: What endures at the end of the world? How do we make sense of our lives? Lily Brooks-Dalton’s captivating debut is a meditation on the power of love and the bravery of the human heart.
Quotes from Good Morning, Midnight
As the silence wore on it grew cacophonous.
I think he’s unkind because it’s easier to be angry than frightened.
He had never been satisfied and never would be. It wasn’t success he craved, or even fame, it was history … He wanted to be remembered.
About Lily Brooks-Dalton
Lily Brooks-Dalton is the author of Good Morning, Midnight, The Light Pirate, and the memoir Motorcycles I’ve Loved. She was born and raised in southern Vermont. Visit the author’s website →
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