2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Here we'll discuss the fourth and final section, In Heaven.

what a magical book! i'm really impressed with faber. this story really spoke to me. i can't wait to see what everyone else thinks.

I'm glad you liked it, Erica!

I finished reading this morning - and I've given it a somewhat mediocre 3 star-rating. A little surprising given how others have responded to it.

(And I wonder if people who usually read a lot of sci-fi first contact and space colonization stories have a generally different opinion of it than readers who usually stick to literary fiction?)

It will be interesting to see how others feel about the story by the end of it!

I don't read a lot of sci-fi fiction. Do you? I wasn't expecting a sci-fi tale and so I really dismissed a lot of the inconsistencies in that part of the story since I felt that the story itself was bigger than those details.

Wait, thats how it ends?? Nooooo! Absolutely no closure!

Erica: I'm mainly a science fiction reader, yes - so maybe that's partly why I felt like all the interesting stuff was being ignored, haha.

But, like Amanda, I was really upset by how - or when - it ended. I expected there to be more!

I have about 30 pages left, and after reading Amanda and Karina's comments about the ending, I'm afraid I'm going to be disappointed! As it is, I'm very torn on how I'll rate the book. I haven't particularly enjoyed reading it (just not my cup of tea), but the writing is good, and it definitely raises some interesting issues.

I think I'm going to have to go with three stars too! I felt so angry with the ending. I'm also primarily a SF reader, and there was so much more I needed to know to be satisfied.

So now that I've had a few days to marinate, I might actually rate this 3.5-4 stars instead of 5. There are some lingering questions beyond the sci-fi details. If this had been a meditation of faith without the scifi elements, I think that Faber would've hit the 5 stars.

Why did Grainger flip? And not until Peter came around? It seems she'd been on Oasis for a while and despite the hints at her past (kinda disappointed that we don't find out much about her backstory; it's like he dropped the self-harm angle and then focused on this friction with her Dad instead) what is it about Peter that triggers her humanity, so to speak?

Peter's gotta be the densest and most naive drug addict in the history of literature. I just can't get over how unprepared he is for this mission and how Pollyanna-ish he comes across.

Overall, I still really like the book. There are some passages that really speak to me. I've recently been interested in reconnecting to my spirituality so maybe this was just a case of right book, right time. And it got me to order a copy of Heart of Darkness, which it clearly draws some inspiration from. I'm tempted to read it next...

I thought we'd find out more about EVERYONE'S backstories by the end. I was disappointed that almost everyone's past remains mostly mystery, or at least very fuzzy.

With all the build-up., I was annoyed that nothing actually happened to the men who went missing, too!

In an odd twist of events, I actually ended up liking the book quite a bit at the end, even though it took me a while to get into it. But I felt like the novel as a whole really came together in terms of the explanation of why the Oasans were so eager to embrace Christianity, Peter finally snapping back to reality and realizing he needs to go back to Earth, etc. To me it was ultimately a book about relationships and faith that could have taken place anywhere, rather than a book about being in outer space. So I could definitely see how those with more of a background in science fiction would be disappointed.

I agree that it would have been nice to learn more about other people's backstories. It seemed like Faber went out of his way to show that many of the USIC workers had troubled pasts, but that point was never fully developed.

I had SO many questions about what was going on in this book and none of them got answered. Faber was constantly hinting at all of these things, but never actually talked about any of them.

At the end of the book, you still don't know what's happening on Earth, hardly anything about the Oasans, Grainger's past, Jesus Lover Five's condition, what happened to Tartaglione and Kurtzberg... NOTHING is explained.

I'm okay that him and Bea weren't reunited by the end of the book (although I hope they do reconcile), but some things needed to be resolved.

Whitney, I completely agree with you--the revelation of the reason the Oasans embraced Christianity was VERY well done and by far my favorite part of this section.

The religious theology parts of this book were quite good. I also enjoyed the writing. It's the science fiction story that I found disappointing.

I really liked this book! I don't usually read sci-fi so I never would have selected this book on my own. The unanswered questions I keep wondering about, what happened to Jesus lover Five? What was the story with Kurtzberg? How did it all end for Tartaglione. Despite my unanswered questions I love when I find a book I don't want to put down.

Cassandra & Peggy - With regard to Jesus Lover 5, I think the implication is that she is inevitably going to die of her hand/arm wound because Oasans don't have the ability to heal. That is why they were so receptive to Christianity and why they were mainly only interested in the New Testament (i.e. parts about Jesus healing people, eternal life, etc.) They took the gospel literally and believed that becoming Christians would give them the ability to heal. At the end, Peter apologizes to Jesus Lover 5, and it seems she (he?) forgives him and is continuing to embrace Christianity even though it hasn't literally healed her physical wounds.

With regard to Tartaglione, they weren't able to "catch" him, so it seems he is going to continue to live on his own.

That was my take on it, anyway!

Oh, but I was a little unclear on what happened to Kurtzberg. It seems he fashioned his own grave and then died? Committed suicide maybe? I kind of skimmed that part so I'm interested to hear if anyone noticed something I missed.

I left my opinion of this book on the other thread, but have a question for some of the people I see on this one... Those of you that say you read mainly Sci-fi, which Sci-fi books would you recommend to begin with for someone like me who hasn't read many before? I enjoyed the story in this book but it left me wanting too much.

I recently read Cloud Atlas, which is six stories, two of which are set in the future. The others are set in the past or present. That might be a good one because it has some solid science fiction, but also some "regular" literature.

There's also the classic Dune, which is definitely pretty science fiction-y. It focuses more on people and society than technology, though, which I like. I also love that the Dune universe is full of people who can do incredible things with their minds. Computers are forbidden because of a past war with machines, so people are forced to spend that time developing their own minds and capabilities. The rest of the Dune series get progressively weirder, but the first one isn't too weird and is one of my favorite science fiction books.

I really recommend Wool Omnibus, which is a collection of highly readable short stories about a world where the land outside is completely desolate, so people are forced to live in underground silos. This one is also more about the people and their society.

It's never explained what "USIC" stands for, is it? (Or did I miss it?) Any theories? I was assuming something like United States Interstellar Colonization or... something. (Nevermind the "we don't call it a colony!")

Alisia, there are so many different flavours of science fiction! If you want to keep exploring the literary fiction/science fiction overlap, I'd suggest Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake as a good one. If you're interested in the blend of science fiction and theology/religion, then A Canticle for Leibowitz or Parable of the Talents could be good (though possibly depressing) choices.

Thanks Cassandra and Karina! I'll add all of your suggestions to my "To-read" list. :)

I really enjoyed this book! As a sci-fi fan, I have to say that I don't really consider this as primarilay a sci-fi book. Yes, there are elements of science fiction that are crucial to the story, but the real meat of the book is a character study about the effects of separation on an individuals and couples.

The same things could have happened to Peter and Bea had he been sent to a remote place on earth without her. In that case, he would have been more attuned to the various crises that occurred, but might still have been unable to fully grasp the effect on her, and too committed to his mission to leave soon enough to really prevent the problems in their relationship.

I like the way Faber found a way to restore Peter's faith through Jesus Lover Five. Peter's connection with this particular Oasan was special, and so it was fitting that in his moment of spiritual crisis, Lover Five would be the one to restore clarity to his thinking.

I do wish that we learned what USIC stands for (no, Karina, you didn't miss it!), as well as how they knew that these catastrophes were about to happen. I think that if there is a sequel to this book, we might learn that USIC is a truly evil entity, and is responsible for much of what is happening on earth.

Overall, I found it to be really thought-provoking and well-written. I gave it 4 stars.

I did not like the ending! The lack of closure really frustrated me, and while I realize that the story is ultimately about Peter's struggle between spiritual duty and his duty towards his wife, there were so many other issues and questions raised that went unanswered. The big aha moment about the real reason the Oasans trusted in Christianity was well-done, but it frustrated me that Peter's final speech to them was written in Oatian and not translated. My is 3.5 stars.

"The big aha moment about the real reason the Oasans trusted in Christianity was well-done..."

Was that because we realize that the Oasans don't heal physically from injuries?

I can't even list all the loose ends that frustrated me in this book, yet I loved the story. I feel like I got so wrapped up in the details and sub-plots that I missed the big picture.

For example - was one of the purposes of the USIC to procreate and populate this other world? Because that certainly wasn't happening. Also - was it ever explained why the Oasans moved their home farther away from the USIC headquarters?

From the Part IV: "She sighed. 'It rains. It just rains. What do you expect? This place is one big anti-climax.'"

How meta...this is how I felt about the whole book.

I'm not typically a sci-fi reader, and although I was enjoying this book especially during the third section, I didn't enjoy how it ended. I feel like a lot was left unanswered.
Overall I thought the book was well written and had some interesting characters. Even though you don't learn too much detail about them, I think that makes you want to keep reading, thinking you will.

I found this book interesting for the first half. Good premise , plot and characters. I had to force myself to read the rest of the book. I have rated this book 2 stars. A book that I have to force myself to read does not deserve 3 stars. I have read many sci - fi books, most recently "The Martian" which I rated 4 1/2 stars. Sorry to

I usually don't read sci -fi or Christian books so this book was a real stretch for me, at first! It was a bit slow at the beginning but once I gave the book a chance and went in with an open mind it really captivated me! I'm glad I read this and look forward to reading outside my comfort zone. By the way, I didn't mind the ending so much! Most of my favorite books have either horrible ending or leave things open. I like that. Life is messy and unfinished sometimes. I you don't get everything wrapped up in a little bow. I give it a 4 star. Because as I previously mentioned, I'm not a sci-fi fan, I don't read Christian books, I'm not even religious,and the author kept me captivated and it was well written! I already recommended it to others!

Kara wrote: "I thought we'd find out more about EVERYONE'S backstories by the end. I was disappointed that almost everyone's past remains mostly mystery, or at least very fuzzy."

Their past and their future

Kaitlin wrote: "From the Part IV: "She sighed. 'It rains. It just rains. What do you expect? This place is one big anti-climax.'"

How meta...this is how I felt about the whole book."

HAHAHA, agreed!

I'm with Leslie, this was a 2-star book for me, primarily because I had to force myself to keep slogging through it. I don't think things picked up until the first half of part 4 and then they dropped back off to boring and unresolved by the end. I give it 2 stars over 1 star because I did think the author did a good job on the disintegration of Bea and Peter's relationship. The Oasan's motivation for embracing Christianity made sense too and that was good. I disliked that the author built up so many other questions as though they were central to the book and then failed to answer them by the end. It felt like he took the easy way out. I also don't think this needed to be a 500-page book given how little actually happens. Even when you think something big is happening, like Peter's injury, it doesn't amount to much.

That's exactly how I felt, Jenn - too many questions lined up but left unanswered. I hate it when books leave me feeling like there was supposed to be another 100 pages to tie up loose ends.

(But the author's wife died from cancer during the writing of this book, is that so? I see the whole novel as an analogy, including the upsettingly abrupt ending.)

That wasn't an ending! Arggg!

The abrupt ending makes sightly more sense in light of it being informed by the author's wife's cancer and death, which I didn't realize. I'm still with Adam, though - Arggg!

I had no idea the author's wife passed away during the writing of the book. After first reading your comment Cassandra, I had to do a double take. I thought you were talking about Peter. I was like, "Did I miss something?"

But you're right it does make more sense now.

I edited my post for clarity - sorry for the confusion, Maria!

I think it's kind of a "life is unresolved" message, but that doesn't leave me any less frustrated. I think if the author hadn't set up all of these mysteries throughout the book, the lack of an ending wouldn't have bothered me so much.

Yeah it almost seemed like he might have had plans for a different ending at one point, but then changed his mind at the end and just finished it.

I agree Cassandra, but I the lack of ending doesn't take away from the rest of the book for me.

Well, let's say that the ending was not the biggest fault in this book, actually I think it suited this very well. About Christianity and Oasans obsessed about religion, I really didn't buy it, it seemed too weird to me.. all the time I kept wondering why they even believe but I guess you can wonder it here too.

Overall, this was pretty awful book.

I'm a little late joining this party. Just wanted to say I did read through everyone's comments in the threads and pretty much agreed with your reactions.

Posted my thoughts in the review thread mostly since I didn't break it down by section.