Starry Eyed (Katharine Pollock, Wakefield Press)

Katharine Pollock’s Starry Eyed is delightfully hard to categorise, combining romantic comedy and science fiction elements and loosely held together by a fan fiction narrative. Fundamentally, it’s a touching story of a young woman’s exploration of identity. Likeable heroine Addilyn Acker describes herself as ‘a wallflower without any perks’. She works at a dysfunctional call centre, lives for her pet rabbit, and is obsessed with the cult sci-fi movie Scarlett Fever, its enigmatic director Josh, and the fan fiction she writes. When Addilyn is invited to New York to interview Josh at a major sci-fi convention, her world expands in strange and exhilarating ways. Cosplay, fandom toxicity and #MeToo moments collide with heartwarming humour and unexpected emotional beats. Despite the imaginative, sometimes chaotic, setting, the novel’s emotional core lies in the deeply believable – and often painful – relationship between Addilyn and her mother. Pollock (Her Fidelity) handles themes of grief and human fallibility with raw honesty and warmth. The cast of supporting characters is another highlight, particularly the Manhattan Man and John, Addilyn’s dodgy but perceptive landlord, who both recognise her unaffected openness and fragility. Starry Eyed will appeal to science fiction and fan fiction readers with a broader appeal for anyone who has felt uncertain about who they are and where they belong in all the possible ‘worlds, galaxies and universes’. Think Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow with a similar tone to Margo’s Got Money Troubles.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Michelle Atkins is a communications professional and published educational author. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Friday Unlocked reviews Reviews