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Bright and Dangerous Objects
Commercial deep-sea diver Solvig has a secret. She wants to be one of the first human beings to colonize Mars, and she’s one of a hundred people shortlisted by the Mars Project to do just that. But to fulfil her ambition, she’ll have to leave behind everything she’s ever known—for the rest of her life.
As the prospect of heading to space becomes more real, thirty-seven-year-old Solvig is forced to define who she really is. Will she come clean to James, her partner, about her plans? Or will she turn her back on the project, and commit to her life on Earth? Maybe even try for a baby, like James is hoping? Is there any way she can start a family and go to Mars? Does she even want both things? Intimate and captivating, Bright and Dangerous Objects explores the space between ambition and obligation, grappling with questions women have faced for centuries while investigating a future that humanity is only beginning to think about. In frank, honest, and moving prose, author Anneliese Mackintosh moves from sea to sky, head to heart, and present to future, asking all the while what it means when our wildest dreams begin to come true.
As the prospect of heading to space becomes more real, thirty-seven-year-old Solvig is forced to define who she really is. Will she come clean to James, her partner, about her plans? Or will she turn her back on the project, and commit to her life on Earth? Maybe even try for a baby, like James is hoping? Is there any way she can start a family and go to Mars? Does she even want both things? Intimate and captivating, Bright and Dangerous Objects explores the space between ambition and obligation, grappling with questions women have faced for centuries while investigating a future that humanity is only beginning to think about. In frank, honest, and moving prose, author Anneliese Mackintosh moves from sea to sky, head to heart, and present to future, asking all the while what it means when our wildest dreams begin to come true.
240 pages, Paperback
First published July 8, 2020
41 people are currently reading
2833 people want to read
About the author
Anneliese Mackintosh
9 books56 followersAnneliese Mackintosh’s debut novel, So Happy It Hurts, was published by Jonathan Cape in July 2017. Her first short story collection, Any Other Mouth, was published by Freight Books in 2014, and it won the Green Carnation Prize. It was also shortlisted for the Edge Hill Prize, Saltire Society's First Book Award, and the Saboteur Award, and longlisted for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award. Anneliese's short fiction has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio Scotland, and published in magazines and anthologies including the Scotsman, Edinburgh Review, and the Best British Short Stories 2013. Anneliese has a PhD in Creative Writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
September 8, 2020
I wanted this based on the description. Solvig is in her thirties. Currently she's a professional deep sea diver and has aspirations to be part of the first expedition to colonize Mars. She's in a loving relationship and her biological clock is ticking loudly. Should she decide to have a child with him, she'll have to leave that child behind forever. But she's not sure she wants a child at all. The decision so many women struggle with, whether or not to bring another life into the world, can be a very complicated one and there are great books in which female characters wrestle with it for all sorts of reasons. This is not a great book.
The deep sea diving job could have been so interesting. But her job is welding oil rigs. When we see her at work it's dull stuff. It turns out, and we learn this early on, the Mars Project is not a project at all, it's a contest. There's been no scientific planning, which is why someone like Solvig with no relevant education or experience can apply. Even if she's accepted there's no reason to think the ship will ever be built let alone leave Earth. The selection process is closer to that for American Idol than NASA. I thought this would have ocean and space and science, but it doesn't.
It's written in first person and I just didn't didn't care much for, or care much about, Solvig's thoughts. It's a first novel and the characters and story never drew me in. I wanted to read about deep sea diving and about what an actual mission to Mars might entail (and Solvig mentions several in the works, but just names names). I wasn't expecting great literature but I needed a buy-in.
Ultimately it comes down to Solvig as narrator. Mackintosh can write well. But I think this would have been a much better book with an omniscient narrator. The diving and desire to colonize Mars are compelling plot points. An omniscient narrator might have pulled them together better and so brought us closer into Solvig's struggle over whether to procreate. With an omniscient narrator and more science and realism, this could have been a unique and touching novel. But it isn't. I wasn't invested in "Bright and Dangerous Objects." It was a quick read and a forgettable one.
The deep sea diving job could have been so interesting. But her job is welding oil rigs. When we see her at work it's dull stuff. It turns out, and we learn this early on, the Mars Project is not a project at all, it's a contest. There's been no scientific planning, which is why someone like Solvig with no relevant education or experience can apply. Even if she's accepted there's no reason to think the ship will ever be built let alone leave Earth. The selection process is closer to that for American Idol than NASA. I thought this would have ocean and space and science, but it doesn't.
It's written in first person and I just didn't didn't care much for, or care much about, Solvig's thoughts. It's a first novel and the characters and story never drew me in. I wanted to read about deep sea diving and about what an actual mission to Mars might entail (and Solvig mentions several in the works, but just names names). I wasn't expecting great literature but I needed a buy-in.
Ultimately it comes down to Solvig as narrator. Mackintosh can write well. But I think this would have been a much better book with an omniscient narrator. The diving and desire to colonize Mars are compelling plot points. An omniscient narrator might have pulled them together better and so brought us closer into Solvig's struggle over whether to procreate. With an omniscient narrator and more science and realism, this could have been a unique and touching novel. But it isn't. I wasn't invested in "Bright and Dangerous Objects." It was a quick read and a forgettable one.
May 10, 2020
3.5 stars, rounded up. Feelings of ambivalence towards motherhood is a subject we're seeing explored more deeply (thankfully) in current fiction. But much of that is about actual parenting rather than the possibility of it. In this book, Mackintosh's heroine, Solvig, is 36 and still undecided on whether she wants children. The conflict between the life she has now and the life she would have as a mother unsteady her as she is forced to make a choice.
Solvig works as a saturation diver, living underwater for weeks at a time, with a high possibility of danger and injury. It is not the kind of work that's consistent with our concept of motherhood. Not only that, Solvig has become fixated on a privately-funded mission to Mars that is on a public campaign to recruit astronauts. At the same time, she is talking with her partner, James, about starting to try to have a baby together. Solvig's actions don't always make sense, not even to herself, and her indecision seems to lead her to purposely place these two impulses against each other, pushing herself harder and harder in opposite directions simultaneously.
To understand this book you have to accept how deeply indecision and opposing impulses can take root in a person. I found myself pulled along by Solvig, especially the way she withdraws from people in her life as she feels more in conflict. It is an extremely internal book, even though there are plenty of things that happen. Solvig and James do not talk practically about the many ways their lives would change if they had a baby, they don't talk about Solvig's job or losing her income, even if only temporarily. These practical concerns are not what the book wants to talk about, which is fine, but it does leave it feeling as if it takes place in a dreamy version of the world at times, instead of being rooted in reality.
These days I have trouble reading much literary fiction but I found myself having no trouble at all reading this, in fact I read it in a day.
Solvig works as a saturation diver, living underwater for weeks at a time, with a high possibility of danger and injury. It is not the kind of work that's consistent with our concept of motherhood. Not only that, Solvig has become fixated on a privately-funded mission to Mars that is on a public campaign to recruit astronauts. At the same time, she is talking with her partner, James, about starting to try to have a baby together. Solvig's actions don't always make sense, not even to herself, and her indecision seems to lead her to purposely place these two impulses against each other, pushing herself harder and harder in opposite directions simultaneously.
To understand this book you have to accept how deeply indecision and opposing impulses can take root in a person. I found myself pulled along by Solvig, especially the way she withdraws from people in her life as she feels more in conflict. It is an extremely internal book, even though there are plenty of things that happen. Solvig and James do not talk practically about the many ways their lives would change if they had a baby, they don't talk about Solvig's job or losing her income, even if only temporarily. These practical concerns are not what the book wants to talk about, which is fine, but it does leave it feeling as if it takes place in a dreamy version of the world at times, instead of being rooted in reality.
These days I have trouble reading much literary fiction but I found myself having no trouble at all reading this, in fact I read it in a day.
June 12, 2020
Mars. The final frontier. Well, some of it anyway. A tantalizingly inviting yet impossible dream. And as with all such things, there are those who just won’t take no for an answer, like Musk, trying to go there and colonize it anyway. But with all the numerous and very serious risks involved…who’d want to be on that (most likely) one way mission? Well, this book’s protagonist, for one. And that was the main appeal of this book for me. There’s absolutely no way I’d just select a book wherein a main character’s sole raison d’etre is contemplation of procreation. This book actually offers an even split of motivations…a 37 year old woman named Solvig who, despite severe commitment quirks, decides to have a baby with her boyfriend, while simultaneously applying to be on a mission to Mars. The entire book is essentially dedicated to her trying to find the balance between the two seemingly impossible to balance things. Intellectually, theoretically this was interesting to me…to read about someone who wants most of all the two things I’d never ever want to do. I don’t get the mindless biological drive to procreate, I’d never have the guts for space flight, but that’s what books are for, anyway. To visit different people, different worlds. Ideally to understand both. Solvig isn’t an easy character to get to know or understand or even like. Presumably her commitmentphobia stems from her mother’s death, which may have seemed like abandonment to a child. She’s fearless but in a sort of blasé disconnected way. So she can do things like live beneath the sea for a month at a time or have a child or go to Mars, but you’re never quite sure why or how. She seems like someone who is profoundly unmoored, marching to a drum beat so distant it may require a different frequency altogether to hear. She decides to have child on a complete whim, at her boyfriend’s suggestion, and then proceeds to try to get pregnant with a determination and dedication you’d find in a most stereotypical procreation minded mommymachine but seemingly only to prove to herself that she can. Almost like a weird sort of dare. She doesn’t seem to actually want a child. Or if she does, it is unclear as to why. It’s kind of similar with Mars, only she really wants to be on that spaceship, it just isn’t quite obvious why. So you can’t read Solvig like a book. She’s kind of motivationally murky. And the author actually wrote this book while contemplating those very two things, space travel and procreation, although it seems like the latter was the stronger driver, she did have a baby and was pregnant again at the time of writing the foreword. So this must have been a very personal journey of a book. Which made me contemplate this book as a metaphor for women balancing ambition, work and motherhood. It might work as such, although again it isn’t that much of an intellectual contemplation with Solvig, since as a character she is mostly driven by unseen undercurrents and not quite explained desires. But at any rate, the writing was quite good and I really enjoyed the Mars angle and even Solvig, for all her reticence, had a certain appeal or gravity, all distant and unknowable like…well, like a far away planet. So this definitely elevated the book above the typical women’s lit biological clock driven sort of fare. Thanks Netgalley.
November 15, 2020
I probably started with the wrong attitude - while the premise sounded interesting when I opened this book I've discovered that it is not a novel - more like a short story that was extremely stretched to fill over 200 pages by the magic of editing ( several empty pages, giant margins, huge leading) and moments that have no purpose for the whole story but where there just for the sake of being. I hate that so it already made me angry even before I started reading.
So the whole plot is about being very indecisive. Like pathologically indecisive. Solvig, our main heroine, can't decide if she wants to have a baby or get a one way ticket to Mars. Or maybe both? So she goes from wanting one thing and realizing that she really wants the other thing couple pages later and then thinking that she wanted the first thing even more. And the cycle repeats couple times to the point that you are screaming internally CHOOSE ALREADY, ITS NOT THAT HARD! The atmosphere is very somber, occasionally they are some humorous scenes that felt very out of place and multiple moments when book will rub in your face how artsy and sophisticated it is.
Not my cuppa.
So the whole plot is about being very indecisive. Like pathologically indecisive. Solvig, our main heroine, can't decide if she wants to have a baby or get a one way ticket to Mars. Or maybe both? So she goes from wanting one thing and realizing that she really wants the other thing couple pages later and then thinking that she wanted the first thing even more. And the cycle repeats couple times to the point that you are screaming internally CHOOSE ALREADY, ITS NOT THAT HARD! The atmosphere is very somber, occasionally they are some humorous scenes that felt very out of place and multiple moments when book will rub in your face how artsy and sophisticated it is.
Not my cuppa.
October 6, 2020
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book popped on my radar earlier this year and I wasn't sure I was going to read it. Then I saw the trailers for Hilary Swank in the new Netflix series Away and started thinking of the book again. I read Bright and Dangerous Objects in a single setting and while it was an enjoyable way to spend my evening it wasn't necessarily remarkable. Thirty-seven-year-old Solvig loves her job as a deep sea diver because of its isolation not despite it, and when an opportunity arises to be one of the first people to colonize Mars she is determined to be chosen. She will leave the planet and never return--the ultimate isolation. While her ambition(?) is admirable, she is also deciding if she wants to have a baby with her boyfriend. She wonders if she should choose one over the other or if she can have both. Isn't this the quandary every woman faces--ambition or family? At it's core this slim novel touches on the struggle of "having it all" as a woman, but I found fault in the ambivalence Solvig feels toward both of her options.
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This book popped on my radar earlier this year and I wasn't sure I was going to read it. Then I saw the trailers for Hilary Swank in the new Netflix series Away and started thinking of the book again. I read Bright and Dangerous Objects in a single setting and while it was an enjoyable way to spend my evening it wasn't necessarily remarkable. Thirty-seven-year-old Solvig loves her job as a deep sea diver because of its isolation not despite it, and when an opportunity arises to be one of the first people to colonize Mars she is determined to be chosen. She will leave the planet and never return--the ultimate isolation. While her ambition(?) is admirable, she is also deciding if she wants to have a baby with her boyfriend. She wonders if she should choose one over the other or if she can have both. Isn't this the quandary every woman faces--ambition or family? At it's core this slim novel touches on the struggle of "having it all" as a woman, but I found fault in the ambivalence Solvig feels toward both of her options.
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July 13, 2021
Not a particularly entertaining book, though highly interesting and different (in a good way?). I wasn’t able to relate to the story, even though that’s the main reason I wanted to read it. It’s about a woman in her late 30s dealing with the dilemma of having a baby (while trying so hard, we all know how women fertility works) or going on a one-way journey to Mars. She was very conflicted, and I didn’t understand her on so many levels throughout the most part of the book and I think (I hope) it was intentional, she needed to understand herself and what she really wanted. Her relationship with her long-term boyfriend was also essential to the story which I liked because it was so raw and well, real. I also liked how rich in information it was (general trivia about space, women in space, and a million other thing).
June 23, 2020
Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy via netgalley!
this is a sweet story of a woman trying to figure out what she wants from life. She is torn by where her life is at now and what she desires for the future. Would have been great If the storyline continued for a bit longer and we got to experience her journey towards mars longer!
Merged review:
Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy via netgalley!
this is a sweet story of a woman trying to figure out what she wants from life. She is torn by where her life is at now and what she desires for the future. Would have been great If the storyline continued for a bit longer and we got to experience her journey towards mars longer!
this is a sweet story of a woman trying to figure out what she wants from life. She is torn by where her life is at now and what she desires for the future. Would have been great If the storyline continued for a bit longer and we got to experience her journey towards mars longer!
Merged review:
Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy via netgalley!
this is a sweet story of a woman trying to figure out what she wants from life. She is torn by where her life is at now and what she desires for the future. Would have been great If the storyline continued for a bit longer and we got to experience her journey towards mars longer!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2021
I really wanted to like this book given its premise but simply could not find Solvig to be a relatable character. I had trouble finding a reason to care about her when she was such a poor best friend and so selfish in her relationship with her boyfriend. There entire tone of the book was depressing to me and I found the ending unsatisfying.
October 6, 2020
Wow, this one is literary fiction at its most deliberate and soul-searching. {Thank you to Tin House books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}
Heartrending and thought-provoking, Bright and Dangerous Objects explores the slow process of finally accepting certain things about yourself that you've long hidden and denied.
"Who do you want to be? What do you want to do?"
Such a relatable issue - and most people seem to figure it out smoothly enough. But this book takes a look at what it's like to feel pulled by too many different desires, which is so poignant for women. We're told we can have the career, the partner, the kid, the house, the body, and the dreams...we CAN do it all! (ha.) But what if we don't really want to? I appreciate the slow reckoning that Solvig (the main character) faced - the inner turmoil and realizations that she finally embraced.
Although this book is short, its slow pace is mesmerizing. You'll sink into a turbulent mood as you explore Solvig's obligations, musings, and deepest desires.
Heartrending and thought-provoking, Bright and Dangerous Objects explores the slow process of finally accepting certain things about yourself that you've long hidden and denied.
"Who do you want to be? What do you want to do?"
Such a relatable issue - and most people seem to figure it out smoothly enough. But this book takes a look at what it's like to feel pulled by too many different desires, which is so poignant for women. We're told we can have the career, the partner, the kid, the house, the body, and the dreams...we CAN do it all! (ha.) But what if we don't really want to? I appreciate the slow reckoning that Solvig (the main character) faced - the inner turmoil and realizations that she finally embraced.
Although this book is short, its slow pace is mesmerizing. You'll sink into a turbulent mood as you explore Solvig's obligations, musings, and deepest desires.
October 13, 2020
So. I don’t quite know I feel about this book. I went into this thinking it was going to be a space story but it’s honestly...not? The space aspect seems to be more of a plot device than anything. But this doesn’t really have a solid ~story to begin with. This whole book seems to be more about one woman’s internal struggle and that’s not really how this was advertised. I probably wouldn’t have picked this up if I’d known there would be so little about space.
So I get the whole ~questioning if you ever want to have kids dilemma (which is what this is mostly about). I feel like society can’t handle women who don’t want to have children and I think talking about the fact that those women exist is a conversation that needs to happen and needs to be normalized. But I don’t really think this book was that conversation?
So I don’t really know what this book was trying to be. I connected with Solvig but I didn’t connect with Solvig. I hated how she couldn’t commit to anything and constantly sabotaged herself. And I honestly hated being in her head and didn’t really like her.
Overall, I just finished this book feeling very meh. I didn’t really love it but I didn’t dislike it either? I just think it needed to decide which story it wanted to tell. Because it was kind of all over the place and I ended the book unable to really understand its purpose. It was a very quick, short read but honestly didn’t make a huge impression on me?
But I also wanted more space and less procreation. I wanted more about the Mars project since that’s the part that really interested me. If that had played more of an intricate role I think I would’ve liked this a lot more. So I think this story could've been expanded in other places and shortened in others and I probably would've connected with it more. But overall, this just wasn't really for me, unfortunately.
But thank you to Tin House for sending this my way in exchange for an honest review!
So I get the whole ~questioning if you ever want to have kids dilemma (which is what this is mostly about). I feel like society can’t handle women who don’t want to have children and I think talking about the fact that those women exist is a conversation that needs to happen and needs to be normalized. But I don’t really think this book was that conversation?
So I don’t really know what this book was trying to be. I connected with Solvig but I didn’t connect with Solvig. I hated how she couldn’t commit to anything and constantly sabotaged herself. And I honestly hated being in her head and didn’t really like her.
Overall, I just finished this book feeling very meh. I didn’t really love it but I didn’t dislike it either? I just think it needed to decide which story it wanted to tell. Because it was kind of all over the place and I ended the book unable to really understand its purpose. It was a very quick, short read but honestly didn’t make a huge impression on me?
But I also wanted more space and less procreation. I wanted more about the Mars project since that’s the part that really interested me. If that had played more of an intricate role I think I would’ve liked this a lot more. So I think this story could've been expanded in other places and shortened in others and I probably would've connected with it more. But overall, this just wasn't really for me, unfortunately.
But thank you to Tin House for sending this my way in exchange for an honest review!
July 28, 2022
Not really science fiction, although I thought it would be. It's about a female commercial diver who is considering applying to be one of the first humans to take a one-way trip to colonize Mars. It's more about how we make choices in life, what is important, how to measure relationships, how to choose dreams and value what is meaningful to us. So odd amalgam of how the main character thinks about and values things in her life, with a smattering of daydreaming about heading to Mars. Didn't meet what I was looking for in sci fi - but an okay book about what commercial diving might be like, and how this woman finds what is meaningful to her.
August 26, 2020
I had never considered deep sea welding and saturation diving as a job, but it now fascinates me.
On the surface this is a story of a woman considering following her ambition or a desire to have a family and navigating relationships It goes much deeper and pulls the reader into reflection on decisions, desires, and the steps one takes toward a future that’s planned or unintended. A delightful read.
ARC
On the surface this is a story of a woman considering following her ambition or a desire to have a family and navigating relationships It goes much deeper and pulls the reader into reflection on decisions, desires, and the steps one takes toward a future that’s planned or unintended. A delightful read.
ARC
December 5, 2020
a woman torn between two ambitions: going to mars for the rest of her life & having a baby.
i loved this book. what do you do with your drive to fulfill your goals? what if your goals are completely opposed to one another? and incompatible? how do you think through that; what do you do?
i loved this book. what do you do with your drive to fulfill your goals? what if your goals are completely opposed to one another? and incompatible? how do you think through that; what do you do?
September 10, 2020
I love the premise of this book. Solvig is commercial diver, which is a dangerous but neat profession. I love her need to be diving. I love her self discovery as the story goes on. The idea of volunteering to join a mission to Mars seemed to make sense for Solvig. Her struggles to get pregnant and stay pregnant were heartfelt.
My favorite thing about this story was the the idea of Mars travel and everyday people applying to participate. I was not in love with Solvig. I thought she was selfish and childish in some ways. I do think some of it was intentional but I couldn't sympathize with her for the most part. All in all, I enjoyed the book.
My favorite thing about this story was the the idea of Mars travel and everyday people applying to participate. I was not in love with Solvig. I thought she was selfish and childish in some ways. I do think some of it was intentional but I couldn't sympathize with her for the most part. All in all, I enjoyed the book.
December 6, 2020
I enjoyed this book. It deals with questioning whether to become mother especially while working. It deals with relationship issues. It also has a touch of fantastic and future.
March 28, 2021
Not exactly good but not terrible either. I did like Solvig's ambivalent approach to maternity, to the conflict in the story, but other than that it just felt lacking.
May 26, 2021
WOW. Amazing. Straight to the top of my favorite short novels. Full review to come.
March 15, 2025
eh wouldn’t recommend. like yes it was a short book but it felt very all over the place and very trauma-dump-esque I feel like the last few chapters of the book were one devastating blow to this poor lady’s life after another. hopefully things start to look up for her?
October 19, 2020
3.5 ⭐️
my expectations for this book weren’t met, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. interesting exploration of feeling trapped between two worlds
my expectations for this book weren’t met, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. interesting exploration of feeling trapped between two worlds
October 4, 2020
I went into this novel with the wrong concept of what it was going to be, but I still ended up enjoying it. I thought part would focus on Solvig’s past and part would take place in space when really they whole novel is building up to her maybe finding out if she got into this space program. The program itself seemed shakey and I doubt anything like it could really exist anytime soon with civilians volunteering to spend the rest of their years on Mars. But, thankfully, there were a lot of other things going on to draw my attention. I hadn’t heard much about the kind of diving Solvig does for work and it was interesting to learn about. Spending so much time in an enclosed space with coworkers and the fact that they pump helium in with the oxygen when they’re leagues under the sea, causing everyone down there to talk like chipmunks for weeks at a time stuck with me. Outside of work, Solvig is vacillating between wanting to become a mother or not and what that would mean for her career and her relationship and her galactic aspirations. Her boyfriend and she seem to both be independently minded and well matched on the surface but something small in Solvig still desires to leave it all behind. I haven’t read many books that take place in Scotland so looking up some of the locations mentioned as I want along was fun. There’s a certain rainy, cloudy but ethereal mood the author achieves throughout the book which is hard to describe but a nice place to be in, especially this time of year. I will definitely be on the lookout for whatever this author does next.
September 30, 2020
Anneliese Mackintosh’s Bright and Dangerous Objects combines two kinds of female-led stories that are currently very popular; the dysfunctional millennial drifting through her life, and the woman struggling with the realities and fantasies of potential motherhood. However, Solvig, the 37-year-old protagonist of this novel, is a bit different from a lot of her literary counterparts; alongside her internal conflicts, she is also occupied with a skilled and dangerous job, commercial deep-sea diving for an oil company in the North Sea. (This addresses one of my most frequent complaints about this kind of novel, so kudos to Mackintosh for that!) She also toys with what is probably one of the most extreme solutions to her present problems contemplated by any of these literary women: joining the first mission to Mars as a colonist. Bright and Dangerous Objects doesn’t have a lot to say about either deep-sea diving or Mars, so I wouldn’t advise picking it up if your interest really lies in either of those areas, rather than with Solvig herself. However, I thought that Mackintosh’s take on this sub-genre was smarter and more engaging than many I’ve read, especially when she starts getting into the idea that going to Mars could potentially be seen as a suicide mission, given the high death rate anticipated among colonists. While the novel never seems to take the Mars mission totally seriously as an option, this does give it some thematic resonance; is there something appealing for Solvig in bowing out of life when she could still just about be perceived as the maiden, rather than the mother or the crone? Bright and Dangerous Objects, as a piece of work, was too sketchy and brief for me, but it suggests that Mackintosh has the potential to write something brilliant. 3.5 stars.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
August 13, 2020
My three words: character-centered, deliberate pacing, domestic
Thank you to Norton for the copy in exchange for an honest review in their LibraryReads program.
Bright and Dangerous Objects is the story of Solvig, a deep-sea welder who is chosen as a finalist for a mission to colonize Mars. The book is the story of her struggle between her own desires, motherhood, and love.
The bright spot of this book is that it has a very interesting premise. I was excited to read this one because I have also struggled with the balance of my own ambition and the obligations of motherhood, so I was interested to see this play out.
However, this is one of those stories where there isn't much going on as far as plot. The entire narrative centers around Solvig and her internal struggle, but not much in the book actually happens.
The character herself is fairly stoic and as a result not much growth seems to have occured. This also lends her seeming to be dispassionate about the things she is supposed to be desiring (motherhood, Mars, diving). She tells us that she is passionate about these things, but due to the arm's length at which she keeps the reader we do not believe her.
Overall, I recommend this book if you want a quick, character-centered read. I would put it as a readalike for Ask Again, Yes or The Last Resort by Emily Gallo.
Thank you to Norton for the copy in exchange for an honest review in their LibraryReads program.
Bright and Dangerous Objects is the story of Solvig, a deep-sea welder who is chosen as a finalist for a mission to colonize Mars. The book is the story of her struggle between her own desires, motherhood, and love.
The bright spot of this book is that it has a very interesting premise. I was excited to read this one because I have also struggled with the balance of my own ambition and the obligations of motherhood, so I was interested to see this play out.
However, this is one of those stories where there isn't much going on as far as plot. The entire narrative centers around Solvig and her internal struggle, but not much in the book actually happens.
The character herself is fairly stoic and as a result not much growth seems to have occured. This also lends her seeming to be dispassionate about the things she is supposed to be desiring (motherhood, Mars, diving). She tells us that she is passionate about these things, but due to the arm's length at which she keeps the reader we do not believe her.
Overall, I recommend this book if you want a quick, character-centered read. I would put it as a readalike for Ask Again, Yes or The Last Resort by Emily Gallo.
March 8, 2021
This book has a great hook: adventurous girl with an iffy boyfriend, cool dying dad and dangerous job thinks she'd like to win a contest for a free one-way trip to Mars. Short punchy chapters had me thoroughly engaged until page 42 where the Science Fiction gets physics completely backwards: deep sea diver in a compression chamber is preparing her shampoo and toothpaste so they won't "rupture during compression. I've seen a guy's crown get blown off, taking the wholetooth—and a big chunk of his gum. . . ." So compressing causes explosion?!! Is the diver 180° off the mark, hence an unreliable narrator? No diver could possibly be so completely wrong: she'd be dead already. Maybe rapid decompression could cause "the tiniest air pocket" to be "unsafe," but not gradual compression preparing divers for the depths. So the author is clueless, and just trying to amp up the excitement so we'll be amazed how dangerous "saturation diving" is. As I read on, more and more I see Mackintosh trying to build up intensity by such unconvincing authorial means. I had to put the book down when a contrived gay scene felt so merely manufactured for overwrought effect. By the time I finish, I wish I hadn't wasted my time with this overcooked potboiler. Such an interesting premise: an adventurer who can't manage life on earth seeks red planet Mars, god of war, etc.; but the brightness is flashing gimmicks, the danger an unconvincing theme music trying way too hard to make insufficient characters seem in some kind of harm's way. Maybe this could be tightened, a few too many scenes pissing on pregnancy test kits deleted, and turned into a decent short story. But don't imagine there's enough in this book for a novella, much less a real novel.
August 2, 2025
This was a good book but I am not sure if I liked it. It was picked out for me by a small town book store’s book club so I didn’t read the description before reading it and had no real expectations.
This is a good character study. Someone mentioned they were disappointed because they wanted more about diving but Solvig’s job was mundane and they wanted more science with the Mars trip but it was a silly contest but that’s real life. Exciting sounding jobs are often in reality, mundane and in today’s society where everyone wants to be a reality TV star, is a contest looking for Mars “astronauts” that far fetched?
Solvig has, like most of us, emotional scares from childhood that “inform” her current life decisions and leaves her questioning her past and future decisions.
I didn’t like Solvig and some of her decisions left me scratching my head but it made for a good book club discussion.
If there were half stars, I would give it 3.5; I rounded up for the discussion value.
This is a good character study. Someone mentioned they were disappointed because they wanted more about diving but Solvig’s job was mundane and they wanted more science with the Mars trip but it was a silly contest but that’s real life. Exciting sounding jobs are often in reality, mundane and in today’s society where everyone wants to be a reality TV star, is a contest looking for Mars “astronauts” that far fetched?
Solvig has, like most of us, emotional scares from childhood that “inform” her current life decisions and leaves her questioning her past and future decisions.
I didn’t like Solvig and some of her decisions left me scratching my head but it made for a good book club discussion.
If there were half stars, I would give it 3.5; I rounded up for the discussion value.
July 2, 2021
If you're expecting a SciFi book about a trip to Mars, don't bother. This book never takes off...
November 18, 2020
Solvig is a saturation diver, working in the oil industry in the U.K. Her boyfriend/partner James is a tattoo artist. Together they are deciding whether or not to have a baby. But Solvig has a secret - she wants to go to Mars and has applied to a program that's recruiting 100 people to be the first to colonize Mars, a one-way trip. But this book isn't sci-fi (I kind of expected it to be). The Mars Project serves mostly as a plot device to get us into Solvig's head as she attempts to decide what she wants out of life. (In fact, the Mars Project, as presented in the novel, is a bit shady and woefully unprepared to mount a mission to Mars, much less choose people from the general populace to go.) I really enjoyed this book. It's Solvig's story - she's the narrator - as she vacillates between her vocation (in a very male-dominated field), domestic bliss, potential motherhood, and dreams of Mars. Other reviewers have pointed out Solvig's indecision as an important representation of women who choose not to have children, a view not readily acceptable in society. As a man, and knowing a number of women who have chosen not to have children and don't seem to be looked down upon, I didn't really pick up on that, but maybe it's a thing. I found the book well-written, with short chapters that always left me thinking, time to read at least one more. I liked Solvig, I liked James; none of the other characters are really fleshed out too well. I was tempted to go five stars but there's one scene late in the book, where Solvig makes a decision (one that she's never sure about) that leads to a major conflict with James and an ending to the novel, while realistic, that's not at all uplifting (trying to avoid spoilers here). But that scene was the one time that the book felt like it was taking a wrong turn. It felt far-fetched and out of character to me. That might have mattered less if the resolution hadn't hinged so much on it. I received a copy of the book from the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program.
April 9, 2021
Hmmm. I thought Matt recommended this book to me, but he didn't.
CW: miscarriage
I think this was interesting because the topic is so relevant to many child-bearing people, in this case, Solvig, who is at a crossroads between potentially being a mother or going to Mars. I think now we want to say that women can ALWAYS do both, but in this case, it's a one-way trip to Mars, so that's not possible.
I also know I shouldn't judge people but oh I was judging Solvig so hard!! Clearly her relationship wasn't working for either of them, and she was mostly with her partner out of pity. I think she knew deep down she didn't want to be a mother, but was afraid of what that would do to her relationship. But between her keeping secrets and trying to please others over herself, it unfortunately broke down anyways. I can't judge her too much... we've all been there!
As I approach 27 (eek!), I've also been thinking a lot about motherhood. My sister was 27 when she got pregnant, and she is an amazing mom. My mom was 30 when she had me and I was her last child. I love children (duh, I'm a preschool teacher) but pregnancy and motherhood are very terrifying for me. I think in some ways I really do want to be a mom, as I am a natural caretaker. But I mother children for 7-8 hours a day- is it something I want to do for the rest of my life? What about all my ambitions/dreams/hopes? Could I do them- would I want to share? Is that selfish?
In this way, I really understood Solvig's struggle of deciding what to do with her body and really her life.
I think it's really a personal choice and honestly, no wrong answers. And the more I discuss with my friends and even reading books like this- kind of help me see that yeah, struggling with this is not easy! But it's human and it happens. I kind of admire this author for really writing a true, nearly unlikeable woman ruining her own life. Sometimes we do that, and I'm glad for the reminder I'm not the only one ;)
So this was thought-provoking, but I wouldn't read it again.
CW: miscarriage
I think this was interesting because the topic is so relevant to many child-bearing people, in this case, Solvig, who is at a crossroads between potentially being a mother or going to Mars. I think now we want to say that women can ALWAYS do both, but in this case, it's a one-way trip to Mars, so that's not possible.
I also know I shouldn't judge people but oh I was judging Solvig so hard!! Clearly her relationship wasn't working for either of them, and she was mostly with her partner out of pity. I think she knew deep down she didn't want to be a mother, but was afraid of what that would do to her relationship. But between her keeping secrets and trying to please others over herself, it unfortunately broke down anyways. I can't judge her too much... we've all been there!
As I approach 27 (eek!), I've also been thinking a lot about motherhood. My sister was 27 when she got pregnant, and she is an amazing mom. My mom was 30 when she had me and I was her last child. I love children (duh, I'm a preschool teacher) but pregnancy and motherhood are very terrifying for me. I think in some ways I really do want to be a mom, as I am a natural caretaker. But I mother children for 7-8 hours a day- is it something I want to do for the rest of my life? What about all my ambitions/dreams/hopes? Could I do them- would I want to share? Is that selfish?
In this way, I really understood Solvig's struggle of deciding what to do with her body and really her life.
I think it's really a personal choice and honestly, no wrong answers. And the more I discuss with my friends and even reading books like this- kind of help me see that yeah, struggling with this is not easy! But it's human and it happens. I kind of admire this author for really writing a true, nearly unlikeable woman ruining her own life. Sometimes we do that, and I'm glad for the reminder I'm not the only one ;)
So this was thought-provoking, but I wouldn't read it again.
August 5, 2020
For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by outer space. Stars, planets, space exploration--all of it; and while I've never wanted to be an astronaut, I will read anything in this genre. This cover is beautiful and immediately caught my attention, and with an equally intriguing blurb, I was excited to dive in.
Solvig is a diver in the oil industry, spending months at a time submerged in a tight ship with mostly men. She loves her job, loves her boyfriend of three years, loves her life--but she can't help but wanting more. When she reads about a contest offering her the opportunity of a lifetime, Solvig must reach into her depths to figure out what she truly wants: to start a family or to *quite literally* reach for the stars, and apply for a position as one of the first settlers on Mars.
I knew from Mackintosh's forward that this wouldn't be a space adventure, but rather the internal reflection that leads up to the most important decision of Solvig's life (so if you're looking for a high-octane adventure with mechanical failures in deep space or alien lifeforms, this might not be the book for you). However, Solvig's voice is engaging and her spirit is contagious. She's unapologetic in her choices and while she understands people will judge her for some of her more unconventional life choices, she's able to separate societal pressures from the pressure she puts on herself to find happiness. In doing so, she considers her choices from all angles: she uses logic, relies on rationality and calm reflection, yet she also embraces her emotions. She doesn't shy away from crying when she feels something deeply.
Because of this, I found her incredibly relatable and authentic. I was moved to tears by her description of miscarriage (which, disclaimer, might be triggering for some, but is not done in the lens of a spectacle here, which I appreciated), her questioning whether you can feel like you've lost someone who was never born. I feel this will strike a chord with many readers, including myself, having two children, but miscarrying in between in almost exactly the same way, and I appreciated that Mackintosh doesn't shy away from the painful realities, the things we so often view as taboo and suffer alone. In sharing this moment, there was a connection, a universal truth, that really balanced not only Solvig's character arc, but the trajectory of her choices.
What struck me most was her examination of womanhood. The separation of mother from lover, how the idea of being pregnant isn't a phobia as much as she has serious doubts and doesn't know if she'll ever be sure she's ready. How she loves her work and wants more. Is she too late to be a mother? Is she crazy for wanting to be a mother? Is she crazy to dream? To want something so much bigger than herself? To want it all?
While we're not debating going to Mars forever in our daily lives, Solvig's debates about what it means to be a woman are questions we face every day. In her search for the Right Choice, she raises several intriguing points about sacrifice and desire, readiness and flexibility, attraction and deprivation. The dichotomies are beautiful and painful, and Mackintosh nails the inner turmoil that many women struggle with at the crux of this next step.
Overall, Bright and Dangerous Objects is a beautiful, insightful, honest reflection on love and ambition. It's a story of a woman daring to dream. It's a story of truth, and oh, what a rarity that is nowadays.
Huge thanks to Tin House and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.
Solvig is a diver in the oil industry, spending months at a time submerged in a tight ship with mostly men. She loves her job, loves her boyfriend of three years, loves her life--but she can't help but wanting more. When she reads about a contest offering her the opportunity of a lifetime, Solvig must reach into her depths to figure out what she truly wants: to start a family or to *quite literally* reach for the stars, and apply for a position as one of the first settlers on Mars.
I knew from Mackintosh's forward that this wouldn't be a space adventure, but rather the internal reflection that leads up to the most important decision of Solvig's life (so if you're looking for a high-octane adventure with mechanical failures in deep space or alien lifeforms, this might not be the book for you). However, Solvig's voice is engaging and her spirit is contagious. She's unapologetic in her choices and while she understands people will judge her for some of her more unconventional life choices, she's able to separate societal pressures from the pressure she puts on herself to find happiness. In doing so, she considers her choices from all angles: she uses logic, relies on rationality and calm reflection, yet she also embraces her emotions. She doesn't shy away from crying when she feels something deeply.
Because of this, I found her incredibly relatable and authentic. I was moved to tears by her description of miscarriage (which, disclaimer, might be triggering for some, but is not done in the lens of a spectacle here, which I appreciated), her questioning whether you can feel like you've lost someone who was never born. I feel this will strike a chord with many readers, including myself, having two children, but miscarrying in between in almost exactly the same way, and I appreciated that Mackintosh doesn't shy away from the painful realities, the things we so often view as taboo and suffer alone. In sharing this moment, there was a connection, a universal truth, that really balanced not only Solvig's character arc, but the trajectory of her choices.
What struck me most was her examination of womanhood. The separation of mother from lover, how the idea of being pregnant isn't a phobia as much as she has serious doubts and doesn't know if she'll ever be sure she's ready. How she loves her work and wants more. Is she too late to be a mother? Is she crazy for wanting to be a mother? Is she crazy to dream? To want something so much bigger than herself? To want it all?
While we're not debating going to Mars forever in our daily lives, Solvig's debates about what it means to be a woman are questions we face every day. In her search for the Right Choice, she raises several intriguing points about sacrifice and desire, readiness and flexibility, attraction and deprivation. The dichotomies are beautiful and painful, and Mackintosh nails the inner turmoil that many women struggle with at the crux of this next step.
Overall, Bright and Dangerous Objects is a beautiful, insightful, honest reflection on love and ambition. It's a story of a woman daring to dream. It's a story of truth, and oh, what a rarity that is nowadays.
Huge thanks to Tin House and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.
September 13, 2020
The atmosphere here in Bright and Dangerous Objects is heavy. It’s laden down with creeping grief, sudden disappointment and the growing dread of continuing to exist while things crash apart around you. Sensitive tattoo-artist boyfriends, fancy craft beer, and getaways in stone cottages cannot save you from yourself.
Solvig has inherited her mother’s furious brain. She has inherited her father’s tend towards self destruction. She has inherited a hunk of malachite that is supposed to keep her safe, not that she believes in those kinds of things.
"Anouk used to work in a crystal shop in Camborne, near the Giant’s Quoit: a mysterious megalithic tomb. She took several boxes of stock home with her when the shop closed down, and she would jokingly administer “stones for yer bones” when we met up. “This one will cure your cold,” she’d say, or, “This one will stop you and James arguing over the remote.” Anouk is not laughing now."
She is more comfortable in a pressurized tank at the bottom of the ocean floor than she is at home with her boyfriend, James. She is more comfortable planning a trip to Mars than she is planning for a baby. She cannot tell any of this to anyone other than the reader; we rapidly process her inabilities to process through this slim but sharp novel. We feel her try to be what those around her want her to be: a mother, a tough guy, a willing participant. We fall apart with her; we sprint along the seaside and hurl our guts into the ocean alongside her. Deep sea diving and chances to colonize Mars aren’t a part of our daily lives, but we can empathize with the pull of the universe alongside Solvig.
"Now, I’ve learnt the secret to making decisions. It’s all about diving in. Am I hungry? I’ll cat a sandwich to find out. Am I tired yet? I’ll go to bed and see. Do I want a baby? I don’t know. Let’s have unprotected sex and see how it feels."
Full disclosure: I received this ARC from the Tin House
Solvig has inherited her mother’s furious brain. She has inherited her father’s tend towards self destruction. She has inherited a hunk of malachite that is supposed to keep her safe, not that she believes in those kinds of things.
"Anouk used to work in a crystal shop in Camborne, near the Giant’s Quoit: a mysterious megalithic tomb. She took several boxes of stock home with her when the shop closed down, and she would jokingly administer “stones for yer bones” when we met up. “This one will cure your cold,” she’d say, or, “This one will stop you and James arguing over the remote.” Anouk is not laughing now."
She is more comfortable in a pressurized tank at the bottom of the ocean floor than she is at home with her boyfriend, James. She is more comfortable planning a trip to Mars than she is planning for a baby. She cannot tell any of this to anyone other than the reader; we rapidly process her inabilities to process through this slim but sharp novel. We feel her try to be what those around her want her to be: a mother, a tough guy, a willing participant. We fall apart with her; we sprint along the seaside and hurl our guts into the ocean alongside her. Deep sea diving and chances to colonize Mars aren’t a part of our daily lives, but we can empathize with the pull of the universe alongside Solvig.
"Now, I’ve learnt the secret to making decisions. It’s all about diving in. Am I hungry? I’ll cat a sandwich to find out. Am I tired yet? I’ll go to bed and see. Do I want a baby? I don’t know. Let’s have unprotected sex and see how it feels."
Full disclosure: I received this ARC from the Tin House
September 13, 2020
It's widely considered that the most dangerous part of any flight is the takeoff. This is true for planes and rockets, as well as saturation diving, where the descent to the sea floor takes 5 days of careful depressurization. Anneliese Mackintosh's BRIGHT AND DANGEROUS OBJECTS perfectly captures the dangers, fears, and impossibilities of commercial deep-sea diver Solvig Deano's own "takeoff": to be, or not to be, a mother?
Solvig lives for her diving job, her month-long escapes to the sea floor, and her dream of being one of the first women to colonize Mars—and it's all thrown into disarray when Solvig's down-to-earth partner, James, asks to start trying for a baby. In Solvig's ensuing internal journey, she explores this impossible dilemma through scintillating metaphors that harness the murky depths of the ocean and the distant reaches of space.
Though Solvig's story takes on many ideas of cosmic proportions (i.e. leaving a child behind on an entirely different planet for what is likely a one-way ticket to outer space), it's easy to submerge oneself in Solvig's dry, frank, and at times acutely impulsive character. "Now I've learnt the secret to making decisions," she posits. "It's all about diving in. Am I hungry? I'll eat a sandwich to find out. Am I tired yet? I'll go to bed and see. Do I want a baby? I don't know. Let's have unprotected sex and see how it feels."
By the end of the novel, Solvig's growing understanding of the consequences of having a child or flying off to Mars enables her to see her decisions as part a sort of collage. "New layers bury old ones. There are dark bits, bright bits rough bits, smooth bits..." It is the gorgeous rendering of this collage which makes BRIGHT AND DANGEROUS OBJECTS such a stunning and captivating read.
*** I received an ARC copy from Tin House in exchange for an honest review***
Solvig lives for her diving job, her month-long escapes to the sea floor, and her dream of being one of the first women to colonize Mars—and it's all thrown into disarray when Solvig's down-to-earth partner, James, asks to start trying for a baby. In Solvig's ensuing internal journey, she explores this impossible dilemma through scintillating metaphors that harness the murky depths of the ocean and the distant reaches of space.
Though Solvig's story takes on many ideas of cosmic proportions (i.e. leaving a child behind on an entirely different planet for what is likely a one-way ticket to outer space), it's easy to submerge oneself in Solvig's dry, frank, and at times acutely impulsive character. "Now I've learnt the secret to making decisions," she posits. "It's all about diving in. Am I hungry? I'll eat a sandwich to find out. Am I tired yet? I'll go to bed and see. Do I want a baby? I don't know. Let's have unprotected sex and see how it feels."
By the end of the novel, Solvig's growing understanding of the consequences of having a child or flying off to Mars enables her to see her decisions as part a sort of collage. "New layers bury old ones. There are dark bits, bright bits rough bits, smooth bits..." It is the gorgeous rendering of this collage which makes BRIGHT AND DANGEROUS OBJECTS such a stunning and captivating read.
*** I received an ARC copy from Tin House in exchange for an honest review***
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