The Gravity of Us
Phil Stamper
This YA romance novel set in a world of high physics and astronomy. With a pilot/astronaut father in a high-profile NASA project our hero Carl is wrenched from his highly successful social media influencer life to one where he is expected to fit in, keep quiet and let the ‘adults’ in the room have all the control. His family literally get moved into a reality TV show following the progress of the astronauts and their Mars mission. This doesn’t quite go to plan. Carl can’t lose his social media habit and also falls for the son of another astronaut, Leon.
The book explores how living in the full gaze of the internet impacts on mental health and also how much creative energy, presentation and touched up fakery goes into presenting the ‘everyday life’ as content for the ravenous appetite of Reality TV or social media platforms. It also looks at where loyalty really lies and explores ethical ideas of social investment in an honest way. It’s an ‘old-ways of doing things’ verses disruptive and highly successful ‘new media’ narrative really with a queer love story thrown in.
Although I found it an unconvincing romantic narrative, quite what these two young men have in common or when they work on their intimacy is never explored, it’s all a bit Insta-Love, but their unapologetic queerness is refreshing and the curious mix of personality types means these two young lovers have to find ways to negotiate frequently. They are happy though, and the promise of seeing fulfilling happy relationships is an important one for younger LGBTQ readers. Stamper’s prose is engaging and hops along at an interesting pace, but for a book with gravity in its title, there is very little intellectual mass or emotional weight to the narrative, but that don’t detract from what, at heart, is a sweet read.
Out now £7.99
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