Synopsis
A fantastical coming-of-age graphic novel involving love, loss, and found family, centered around a determined autistic heroine who refuses to make herself fit neatly into other peoples’ space
Wherever she is, Olive has never quite fit in, and living in a dorm room for the first time is no exception. To get away from the bullies, annoying teachers, and her parents, Olive escapes alone into her own vast world of vivid landscapes and fantastical inventions—until she gets an unexpected visit from a mysterious astronaut.
Could the astronaut in her inner world be the same astronaut who recently crash-landed on earth without a trace? Night by night, Olive watches his health fade and becomes more and more certain that she has to take action.
When no one believes that she knows how to save him, she joins forces with her plucky new roommate to unpack the clues from her inner world and venture on a journey to real-life countries she’s never been to before—all to save an astronaut who, as far as she can recall, she’s never met.
My Thoughts
I enjoyed reading this story. It captivated my imagination and kept me reading until I finished it in just one sitting. I didn't quite understand that Olive was autistic though. It makes alot of sense now that I have finished reading the book. Olive's character was presented as a loner which I readily accepted. My thoughts were that Olive was introverted with a severe social phobia. I should have realized that she was autistic given her inability to be around other people.
Olive felt the need to escape the pressures of school bullies and daily life so she frequently retreated into her head, which she populated with a rubber duck named Noel and a transparent whale named Rose. I am not autistic but believe that the story realistically shows an autistic person's lived experience. We see Olive retreating daily into herself. When reality overwhelms her, she goes to her safe space, the world she created in her mind. The school Olive attends is located in Paris. The school accommodated her disability by allowing her to live in a room by herself. When Olive’s grades plummet the school forces her to have a roommate. Charlie is the roommate's name.
The outer space setting was beautiful. It was colored in dreamy bright blues which is not what space actually looks like. The school setting was similarly nice, however, the dorms were untidy. Students tried to fit all the comforts of home into their dorm rooms and consequently they were cluttered. I liked this setting because it was cozy. I can remember my own college dorm looking the same way.
Parents, there are no sexy drawings or scenes so I can recommend the book for kids as well as adults. It's simply a great story. 5 out of 5 stars.
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