★★★☆☆
Though living worlds apart, Augustine, an astronomer living alone in the Arctic Circle in his twilight years, and Sully, an astronaut who left her young daughter to embark on a two-year mission to Jupiter, have more in common than their love of the stars. Neither have ever truly fit in, and they have struggled to connect with others throughout their lives. Now, as both undertake risky, isolating, yet legacy-building professional endeavors, a mysterious disaster has created uncertainty about the state of the planet.
The story alternates between Augustine’s and Sully’s perspectives. Augustine adjusts to living with an abandoned young child who mysteriously turns up, while Sully navigates relationships with her crewmates as they journey back to Earth without guidance from Mission Control.
I was intrigued by the big questions this novel grapples with as Sully and Augustine contemplate the future. The intertwining storylines make the reader ponder what happens after the world ends. Good Morning, Midnight shines a glaring light on the impact the pursuit of a professional legacy can have on an individual’s personal life. I also appreciated the unexpected connection between some of the characters.
This is my second Brooks-Dalton read, and while this one had its strong points, I preferred The Light Pirate. Both books are well-written, fall in the speculative fiction genre, and have thought-provoking plots about adapting to a drastically changing world. However, I found the characters in The Light Pirate to be more relatable, which gave it an edge.
Favorite line: “He wanted something different for her — connection, love, community. He didn’t want to go on making excuses for his inability to give her anything but the same emptiness he’d given himself.”