Lynnie 
contemporary science fiction
I
read, and enjoyed, Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen earlier in the
year so I was eager to read another book by him and amused to find that I
had already put a few in my "to be read" queue in the library. Light Years From Home is Chen's newest novel and while there is an
undercurrent of science fiction, at its core, Light Years From Home is a
story about family.
The Shao family has been through some stuff. Fifteen years ago, Jakob and his father disappeared while on a camping trip. The elder Shao returned a few days later with tales of an alien abduction, but Jakob was never found. The fallout splintered the Shao family; youngest daughter Evie pursued her father's alien abduction theory into adulthood and is estranged from Jakob's twin sister, Kass, who has grown up to be the consummate professional, taking care of the family home, their mother who has dementia, and trying to hold all the pieces together. When Jakob suddenly reappears in their lives, the reality of all they have lived through and avoided in those 15 years comes crashing through the door.
This is a wild tale, and you have to jump in with both feet or not bother reading. I found myself thoroughly enjoying the family drama and cheering for all of the characters throughout. Even when they were at their worst, there was something about them that made me want to hope for the best. Maybe it's the need to hope that the world is worth saving or maybe I just needed a story to escape into and someone else's drama to focus on for a few days, I don't know. But if you're looking for true science fiction- I would skip this book. If however, you're looking for a story about family, and forgiveness, with a little bit of sci-fi on the side, jump right in to Light Years From Home, you won't regret it.
The Shao family has been through some stuff. Fifteen years ago, Jakob and his father disappeared while on a camping trip. The elder Shao returned a few days later with tales of an alien abduction, but Jakob was never found. The fallout splintered the Shao family; youngest daughter Evie pursued her father's alien abduction theory into adulthood and is estranged from Jakob's twin sister, Kass, who has grown up to be the consummate professional, taking care of the family home, their mother who has dementia, and trying to hold all the pieces together. When Jakob suddenly reappears in their lives, the reality of all they have lived through and avoided in those 15 years comes crashing through the door.
This is a wild tale, and you have to jump in with both feet or not bother reading. I found myself thoroughly enjoying the family drama and cheering for all of the characters throughout. Even when they were at their worst, there was something about them that made me want to hope for the best. Maybe it's the need to hope that the world is worth saving or maybe I just needed a story to escape into and someone else's drama to focus on for a few days, I don't know. But if you're looking for true science fiction- I would skip this book. If however, you're looking for a story about family, and forgiveness, with a little bit of sci-fi on the side, jump right in to Light Years From Home, you won't regret it.
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