Anyone who is a fan of reading for pleasure has at least one author that serves as comfort food. I’ve got a few, and Taylor Jenkins Reid is one. I can always count on her books to be accessible, binge-worthy and not too taxing on the noggin.
“Atmosphere” did not disappoint.
It’s not my favorite novel of hers — that honor likely falls to “Daisy Jones and the Six” or “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.” Nevertheless, Jenkins Reid’s latest is entertaining … comfort food when this girl needed to be distracted. (Wake me up after the next election cycle, please.)
With “Atmosphere,” readers are introduced to Joan Goodwin, the long-suffering sister to a narcissistic a-hole, Barbara. (This is not the main plot point but should be because she is awful.) Joan is toiling in academia when Barbara does one of the few good things she ever does in her life — and that is to let Joan know NASA is accepting applications to its astronaut program.
It’s the very early 80s when Joan applies, well before Sally Ride blasts into space. And upon entry into the training program, Joan discovers there are more than a handful of women with the same dream to get as close to the stars as humanly possible. It’s in training she finds her tribe — the people that “get” her, appreciate her and love her.
The love story plot reveal isn’t really that much of a twist, and readers will see it coming a mile away, but that is OK. Joan’s sexual awakening is definitely a part of the story, though it comes in second to finding the love of her life. Joan and Vanessa make for a great romance, and the dynamic makes the tension of Vanessa’s mission all the more engaging.
But what made the book for me was Joan’s long overdue acknowledgement that her younger sister Barbara — the one to whom she always comes to the rescue, babysits, covers for, and loves even when she is not loved back — is a garbage human being. Ugh. And that’s how I know “Atmosphere” is a great read because of the visceral reaction I have even thinking about that character. What a piece of work. Frances, you deserved a better mother. Thank goodness you have Joan as an aunt.
“Atmosphere” is a great read if you are looking for something somewhat fast-paced and you’ve got a few hours to kill over a weekend, sitting at a kid’s soccer or football game. You just know this is headed for some kind of streaming treatment, which will bring me joy if I can find things to throw at my TV when Barbara’s dumb mug is on it. Good times!
LitzyDitz 