The Seven Husbands of Evelynn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid securely held its title as my favorite book for years — and then I read Atmosphere. Had I not read any of Reid’s novels previously, I honestly don’t know if I would have picked it up. I’m not really into space, so I was a little worried I wouldn’t be fully immersed in the world of Atmosphere. Thankfully, that was far from the case, as I was so invested in this book that I almost cried while reading it at the RPAC.
There are some spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t read Atmosphere yet, come back to this article afterward so we can fangirl together!
Summary
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid tells the story of Joan Goodwin, previously a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University, after she applies to be one of the first women to join NASA’s space shuttle program. She is accepted into the program and in 1980, she begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center. Over the course of four years, Joan excels in doing what she loves, she meets the people who will change her life for the better, and she discovers parts of herself that she had never known were there. In 1984, though, something goes wrong while she is the Capcom for her friends’ mission to space, and after every challenge she’s faced in training, she has to make the hardest decision yet.
Characters
First of all, Joan Goodwin is the most refreshingly unique protagonist I have read in a very long time. She is passionate about fulfilling her dreams, she sees the good in everyone, she has a big heart, and she’s a nerd. While I do appreciate a flawed main character, the fact that Joan is so likeable made me feel even more attached to the events of the story.
Throughout the novel, Reid does a phenomenal job at writing in Joan’s voice. I never felt that there were any moments where the author’s personality breaks through or where Joan thinks or does something that is out of character for her.
I adore the line where Reid writes, “All she could think about was how grateful she was that the Earth was ninety-three million miles away from the sun today, far enough to be warm but not too hot, just the right distance for life on this planet,” because who would think that other than Joan Goodwin?
It truly felt like I was in Joan’s mind while I was reading — so much so that even when she is rationalizing her thoughts, I found myself agreeing with her no matter what (for example, when she is defending her sister and when she is suppressing her feelings for Vanessa). As a fiction writer myself, I understand how hard it can be sometimes to put yourself into the mindset of your characters — and Reid does this effortlessly.
Joan isn’t the only one who stands out to me as a reader, though. No matter how many pages a character is actually featured in this novel, I felt strongly connected to every single one. This reminds me of something that was stressed to me in the screenwriting class I took last semester: “show, not tell.” Instead of telling us that Griff is a fierce friend, Reid shows us that he stays by Joan’s side, no matter what, until the very end. Instead of telling us that Lydia is determined, Reid shows us that she will sacrifice anything and everything to make it to the top. This makes the book both more enjoyable because readers care about what happens to every single character and also more heartbreaking to finish.
Structure
Atmosphere is not told in perfect chronological order. While most of the story takes place starting when Joan first applies to the program in 1980 up until she finds out she will be the Capcom for the mission in 1984, the book opens with that 1984 mission first. Throughout the chronological chapters, Reid sprinkles in a chapter during the mission in 1984 until the plot catches up with itself and ends when the mission is over.
In my opinion, this method can be tricky sometimes. When characters and events of the past are mentioned at the beginning of a novel and the readers don’t yet understand what the writer is talking about, they can become bored or frustrated. I will admit: even though this is my new favorite book, it wasn’t the strongest opening I’d ever read. However, once the book continues, the purpose of this structure becomes clear: Reid wants her readers to feel punched in the gut. Isn’t that what we all want from a really good book?
All we know in the beginning of the book is that something has gone wrong during a space mission, some characters we know nothing about are in trouble, and there’s some unidentified tension between the Capcom (Joan) and one of the crew members (Vanessa). But then, Reid brings readers back in time to show us how the characters meet and how their relationships develop over time. Also, we learn the importance of the mission and everything it takes for them to get to that point. So, when she brings us back to the 1984 timeline, readers are now extremely emotionally invested and can connect all of the dots.
Romance
Joan and Vanessa’s love story is hands-down the most incredible depiction of romantic love I have ever read. This is even more impressive considering that their romance doesn’t start until about halfway through the novel. Reid perfectly describes what it feels like to realize you have never really been in love until boom — you just are. One of my (many) favorite quotes from Atmosphere is right before Joan and Vanessa have their first conversation.
“Joan knew who it was before she saw her face. She also knew there was a scientific explanation for these moments in which she felt she could sense the future. Information was being received at such a rapid speed that it felt as if the reaction was coming in before the stimulus. But the sensation was eerie, nonetheless. She understood why people got confused sometimes, started calling things fate.”
Reid captures how wonderfully all-consuming love can feel by writing, “How did people do this? How did they go through every single day with this kind of excitement inside them? How how how how how. Poor Donna. Having to hide this for so long. It was the single greatest feeling Joan had ever felt.”
If I wasn’t reading this book while walking on the RPAC treadmill, I would’ve screamed when I read this scene: “‘Tell me what you’re thinking,’ Joan said. ‘You do not want me to say what I’m thinking.’ Joan knew that this was true. But she also couldn’t resist the temptation. ‘I don’t know about that. I feel like I could know you forever and still be curious about what you’re going to say next.’ Vanessa leaned forward and lowered her voice: ‘I thought the same about you, the first time I saw you,’ she said.”
I could read about Joan and Vanessa’s happy relationship for hundreds and hundreds of pages, but of course, Reid can’t let that happen — there would be no conflict. Their struggle to hide their queer relationship because of the threat of losing their spots in the program is absolutely heartbreaking, but the fact that they are willing to risk everything they’ve worked so hard for to be together is beautiful. I’m glad I left the gym before reaching the end of this book because I was sobbing when Vanessa was risking her life to save Lydia, and she and Joan couldn’t say “I love you” because the whole station would find out about them.
‘A love story’
The front cover of Atmosphere says “A love story,” but I admire this novel because it is not just about romantic love. To me, it is an example of how while romantic love can make life great, it’s important to pour your heart into other aspects of your life just as much.
Through Joan’s passion for space and the stars, we are shown what it means to love what you do. Once Joan finds out about NASA’s program, nothing is as important to her as getting into space. Getting into the program uproots her life and means working hard every day, but to her, it is worth it. One moment that really sticks out to me is when her sister, Barbara Goodwin, can’t understand why Joan wants to work so much. Joan, in turn, is confused as to why Barabara can’t understand. The answer is that Barabara doesn’t know what it’s like to love something as much as Joan loves space.
Also through Barbara and Joan, we are shown unconditional love. Barbara is the only character in this whole novel that I do not like. Even though she is the older sister, throughout their entire lives, she has constantly relied on Joan for everything. She takes advantage of Joan’s selflessness and is never grateful. Even though Joan realizes this, she still makes time for Barbara and helps her whenever she asks because they’re sisters.
In addition, this is a story about maternal love — not through an actual mother and daughter, but through Joan and her niece, Frances. Despite the fact that Frances is Barbara’s daughter, Joan practically raises her and loves her as her own. She considers how every decision she makes affects Frances, even when it comes to following her dreams of working at NASA. When Frances wants to leave boarding school but Barabara doesn’t want to take her back, Joan agrees to care for Frances without a second thought, even though it would complicate things with work and with Vanessa.
Finally, this is a story about platonic love. The friendships in this novel are all-around exemplary. Whether it’s encouraging each other in training, cheering for each other even though they are technically competing, supporting each other through the tough days, and accepting each other for who they are, they are great examples of how friendships should be. There is even a lesson about being a friend to those who aren’t exactly a friend to you. Lydia spends most of the novel “fending for herself,” so the rest of the crew doesn’t bother to try and get to know her. Joan always treats Lydia as a friend, though, and in the end, we learn how much Lydia needs that.
Women in space!
It is so inspiring and important to read a novel with so many intelligent, driven, strong, and independent female characters. I mean, they are some of the first women to go to space — Reid is sending the message that women can do absolutely anything a man can do.
Throughout the novel, Joan notes that many of the pilots tend to look down on the women and make misogynistic comments towards them. While most of the women ignore them or clap back, Lydia chooses to laugh with them. This raises an interesting question — do we fight back, or do we go along with it so they don’t see it as women surpassing them? The other women criticize Lydia for humoring the men, but she claims that by doing so, she is bettering her chances at achieving her career goals. I have my own opinions on this, but overall, I think it poses a great question for readers to think about.
My favorite quote in the novel is when Joan answers this question for herself: “Because the world had decided that to be soft was to be weak, even though in Joan’s experience being soft and flexible was always more durable than being hard and brittle. Admitting you were afraid always took more guts than pretending you weren’t. Being willing to make a mistake got you further than never trying. The world had decided that to be fallible was weak. But we are all fallible. The strong ones are the ones who accept it. Joan had let men like Jimmy set the terms. But the terms were false, even to him. He was just as scared as anybody else. Bravery, Joan suspected, is almost always a lie. Courage is all we have. She didn’t want to lower herself to the game men played.”
The end.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid had me in happy tears, then sad tears, then happy tears, then sad tears, and finally, confused tears. The ending, as brilliant as it is to make readers think that Vanessa doesn’t survive the mission and then have her respond on the last page, had me in shambles. But, because we aren’t exactly sure how everything turns out, the novel lingers in our minds long after it’s over.
For many, many reasons, this novel is absolutely brilliant. Stop whatever you’re reading and go get Atmosphere — I cannot recommend it enough!