The Wanderers

by Meg Howrey

Overview

A brilliantly inventive novel about three astronauts training for the first-ever mission to Mars, an experience that will push the boundary between real and unreal, test their relationships, and leave each of them—and their families—changed forever.
 
“A transcendent, cross-cultural, and cross planetary journey into the mysteries of space and self....Howrey’s expansive vision left me awestruck.”—Ruth Ozeki

“Howrey's exquisite novel demonstrates that the final frontier may not be space after all.”—J. Ryan Stradal

In an age of space exploration, we search to find ourselves.
 
In four years, aerospace giant Prime Space will put the first humans on Mars. Helen Kane, Yoshihiro Tanaka, and Sergei Kuznetsov must prove they’re the crew for the historic voyage by spending seventeen months in the most realistic simulation ever created. Constantly observed by Prime Space’s team of "Obbers," Helen, Yoshi, and Sergei must appear ever in control. But as their surreal pantomime progresses, each soon realizes that the complications of inner space are no less fraught than those of outer space. The borders between what is real and unreal begin to blur, and each astronaut is forced to confront demons past and present, even as they struggle to navigate their increasingly claustrophobic quarters—and each other. 

Astonishingly imaginative, tenderly comedic, and unerringly wise, The Wanderers explores the differences between those who go and those who stay, telling a story about the desire behind all exploration: the longing for discovery and the great search to understand the human heart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399574641
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/02/2018
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	730,957
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Meg Howrey is a former dancer who performed with The Joffrey, Eglevsky Ballet, and City Ballet of Los Angeles. She is the author of two previous novels, Blind Sight and The Cranes Dance, and the coauthor of the bestselling novels City of Dark Magic, and City of Lost Dreams, published under the pen name Magnus Flyte. Her non-fiction has appeared in Vogue and The Los Angeles Review of Books. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

Read an Excerpt

Helen
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Wanderers"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Meg Howrey.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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What People are Saying About This

New York Times bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest - J. Ryan Stradal

A magnificent and expansive tale of the costs of human ambition, The Wanderers is unquestionably the work of a brilliant writer at the height of her powers. Meticulously researched and magnificently rendered, Howrey's brilliant novel on humankind's most ambitious project is, in itself, a work of wondrous skill and ambition, a book about space that's truly about people, but also about the lonely wonder of true trailblazers, the disparate cast behind a great life, and the compromises that build success. Brilliantly ambitious and deeply empathetic, Howrey's exquisite novel demonstrates that the final frontier may not be space after all.

author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fiction Universe and Sorry Please Thank You - Charles Yu

Elegant, thoughtful, gorgeously written. A meditation on solitude, connection, aspiration, imagination and reality, which builds effortlessly to moments of immense power and honesty. There are passages near the end of this book that I will never forget.

New York Times bestselling and Man Booker shortlisted author of A Tale for the Time Being - Ruth Ozeki

The Wanderers is phenomenal. A transcendent, cross-cultural and cross-planetary journey into the mysteries of space and self, the novel explores the dangers and necessities of venturing away from the familiar and finding home in the unknown. Howrey's expansive vision left me awestruck.

national bestselling author of The Rocks and A Voyage for Madmen - Peter Nichols

The Wanderers is a stealthily brilliant novel. A distinct, shimmering vision of who we are and where we think we want to go. Meg Howrey's three astronauts and their families seem to embody the whole human race at the signal moment of a growth spurt. They exist, as we do now, at the edge of science fiction, their story propelled by a seriousness and intelligence wrapped in a comic and tender humanity. Meg Howrey delivers this vision in a prose that feels new, sui generis, its own necessary vehicle, with a kind of sleek precision that is at once simple, gorgeous, and profoundly moving.

author of High Dive - Jonathan Lee

The Wanderers is a wonderful exploration of space, trust, and what it means to be a conscious creature, finely-tuned and funny from the first page to the last. I loved getting lost in Meg Howrey's off-kilter world of astronauts and their simulated fantasies. She's a writer with an amazing eye for freedom and confinement and the thin line that sometimes lies between the two.

Reading Group Guide

1. Like Luke and Nari, do you have a favorite astronaut? If so, who? What about a favorite family member?
2. On p. 20, Mireille thinks “If her mother goes to Mars, then that will be the only story of Mireille’s life. It will wipe out everything.” What do you think Mireille means? Discuss Mireille and Helen’s relationship. Is Helen a good mother? Is Mireille’s resentment justified?
3. In what ways do Helen, Sergei, and Yoshi work well together? In what ways do they frustrate one another? Discuss how their dynamics change throughout the novel.
4. At one point Dmitri thinks “The thing about pride, though, is it doesn’t fully occupy you. It’s like holding a sparkler. Basically, you just stand there with a light in your hand and look up” (p. 41). How do Dmitri’s feelings about pride shape his character? How does he feel about his father’s role as an astronaut? Do his feelings toward Sergei change by the end of the novel?
5. For Eidolon, the astronauts are each allowed to bring a very small bag for personal items. Yoshi brings acorns, while Sergei has photos of his sons. What would you take to remind you of home?
6. Is Madoka an artist? Why or why not? Do you agree with her concept of art?
7. How is marriage portrayed in the novel? Do you think Yoshi and Madoka’s relationship will be different when Yoshi returns? If so, how?
8. Discuss the intersection of art and science within the novel. Do these two fields approach exploration and discovery differently? In what ways is their approach the same? What, exactly, do you think the astronauts and their families hope to discover?
9. Luke notes that the thing that is most incredible about the astronauts is their level of control. Is this control a good thing or a bad thing? How does it affect the astronauts on their mission? How does it affect their relationships with their families?
10. What did you think about the ending? What mission do you believe the astronauts were on?
11. Setting aside the realities of training, if you had the chance to go to Mars, would you? Why or why not?

Editorial Reviews

"Phenomenal. A transcendent, cross-cultural and cross-planetary journey into the mysteries of space and self. . . . Howrey's expansive vision left me awestruck.”—Ruth Ozeki, author of A Tale for the Time Being

"Straddling the fine line between outer space and the world we know, The Wanderers is a breathtakingly honest and incredibly beautiful examination of the heart and soul of humankind. . . .This is a book that isn’t like anything you’ve ever read before."  —Newsweek

"Howrey subtly explores the tensions between our inner and projected selves. Thanks to her wry sense of humor, it totally works. . . .  [A]n often funny story that grows poignant in its final chapters." —The Washington Post

"Fascinating . . . a masterful psychological novel, full of rich characterization and a surprisingly gripping narrative." —Los Angeles Times

“Every single character in The Wanderers feels distinct and vivid, a planet in his or her own right.” —Slate

The terrain explored by Meg Howrey in The Wanderers is otherworldly, but the bonds among three astronauts and the loved ones they leave behind for a 17-month mission to Mars feel earthbound and immediate . . . [through] brief, psychologically incisive chapters that drive the story forward." —Nicole Lamy for The New York Times

"Engrossing. . . . Although the contours of a space drama may seem familiar to a 21st-century readership, Howrey, through the poetry of her writing and the richness of her characters, makes it all seem new. A lyrical and subtle space opera." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"With believably fragile and idealistic characters at the helm, Howrey’s insightful novel will take readers to a place where they too can 'lift their heads and wonder.'" —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Add Howrey's novel, which centers on astronauts exploring both outer and inner space, to the list of must-consume, intergalatic art." —Nylon

“Play[s] with notions of counterfeits and authenticity. . . . Is the Eidolon mission all it appears to be? Or more? The unfolding of that mystery launches this plausible space tale into higher realms of enjoyment.” —The Associated Press

"[I]nventive, lyrical and immersive." —BBC.com

"[C]onfronts ageless questions of why humans explore, what they are looking for, and what happens when they find it. Evoking the authenticity of Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves with the literary sensitivity of Ann Patchett, Howrey has made the mission-to-Mars motif an exquisite exploration of human space, inner and outer." —Booklist

“Howrey’s exquisite novel demonstrates that the final frontier may not be space after all.” —J. Ryan Stradal, author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest

“A distinct, shimmering vision of who we are and where we think we want to go.—Peter Nichols, author of The Rocks and A Voyage for Madmen

“Elegant, thoughtful, gorgeously written. A meditation on solitude, connection, aspiration, imagination and reality, which builds effortlessly to moments of immense power and honesty. There are passages near the end of this book that I will never forget.” —Charles Yu, author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fiction Universe and Sorry Please Thank You

From the Publisher

★ 01/23/2017
Three astronauts and those who know them best explore the limits of truth and love in Howrey’s (Blind Sight) genre-bending novel. Helen Kane, Sergei Kuznetsov, and Yoshihiro Tanaka are the perfect crew for the first mission to Mars: elite explorers and engineers, they’re more at home in microgravity than with their families. But even years of training can’t fully prepare them for Eidolon, a highly-engineered 17-month-long simulation. Beyond the physical and emotional stress for the crew members, their prolonged isolation will also test their families. The story’s multiple points of view don’t confuse the intensely introspective narrative; instead they create perspective and distance—three planetary bodies and their satellites observing themselves, and each other. The voices are distinct, each member reviewing and acting on his or her own emotional telemetry with equal parts brilliance and blunder, and the stakes are high, with any heartbeat capable of tipping the scales against the crew’s survival. But the longer the mission runs, the longer the three are kept in isolation, the more they question the stories they choose to tell their handlers, their families, each other, and themselves—and the more they question the stories they are being told. With these believably fragile and idealistic characters at the helm, Howrey’s insightful novel will take readers to a place where they too can “lift their heads and wonder.” Agent: Lisa Bankoff, ICM Partners. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

02/15/2017
Helen Kane leaves NASA to participate in the Prime Space company's Martian voyage simulation, code-named Eidolon. The crew also includes cosmonaut Sergei Kuznetsov and Japanese astronaut Yoshihiro Tanaka with mutual compatibility and mission suitability determined and assured by Prime Space's extensive testing and sophisticated algorithms. The trio's family members are subject to communication blackouts and the pressures of being related to one of the few human space travelers. Helen's grown daughter, massage therapist/aspiring actress Mireille, deals with a mother whose first love seems to be her work; Sergei's 16-year-old son Dmitri struggles with his sexuality; Yoshi's wife Madoka works with robots. Howrey (Blind Sight; as Magnus Flyte, City of Dark Magic) presents an extraordinarily empathetic and well-realized look at the astronauts and their families as they progress through the Eidolon mission. Compelling and timely, these parallel tales of exploration, both through the galaxy and within, should win over a wide variety of readers. VERDICT Combine this human-focused title with Andy Weir's technical masterpiece The Martian to give readers the most complete picture of Mars missions that they could glean from just two fictional works! This title has abundant crossover appeal to the sf, contemporary fiction, and even the older YA crowd. [See "Editors' Picks," p. 25.]—Jennifer B. Stidham, Houston Community Coll. Northeast

Library Journal

Mozhan Marno narrates a story about training for an expedition to Mars with expert voicing of the many characters. Prime Space, a private company, has selected three astronauts to send to Mars. Before they can go, they must withstand a seventeen-month long simulation of the trip to test their psychological and physical well-being—all, paradoxically, in intense isolation but under constant observation. Marno transitions smoothly between the accents and distinct personalities of astronauts Helen, Sergei, and Yoshi, as well as their families and observers, who are going about their everyday lives on Earth. This moving audiobook is less about traveling in space than it is about the extremes to which humans can push themselves, the masks they use to obscure themselves from others, and the challenges of being the one left behind. E.E.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2017 - AudioFile

Mozhan Marno narrates a story about training for an expedition to Mars with expert voicing of the many characters. Prime Space, a private company, has selected three astronauts to send to Mars. Before they can go, they must withstand a seventeen-month long simulation of the trip to test their psychological and physical well-being—all, paradoxically, in intense isolation but under constant observation. Marno transitions smoothly between the accents and distinct personalities of astronauts Helen, Sergei, and Yoshi, as well as their families and observers, who are going about their everyday lives on Earth. This moving audiobook is less about traveling in space than it is about the extremes to which humans can push themselves, the masks they use to obscure themselves from others, and the challenges of being the one left behind. E.E.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2017 - AudioFile

★ 2016-12-15
Three astronauts and their families must endure the effects of a pioneering deep-space mission.Prime Space Systems Laboratory is a company of the future. It's put together a dream team of three astronauts to undertake a manned mission to Mars, but first, they'll need to undergo a 17-month simulation in the Utah desert, an operation known as Eidolon. Helen, Yoshi, and Sergei are ideal—experienced engineers, they have each been to space before, and together they form a trio capable of withstanding both the physical and emotional pressures of an isolating experience like Eidolon. But Howrey (The Cranes Dance, 2012, etc.) chooses to tell their story from more than just the three astronauts' perspectives; we also learn how Helen's actress daughter, Sergei's sexually confused teenage son, Yoshi's restless wife, and one of the Prime Space employees charged with observing the astronauts deal with the extremity of the circumstances. Howrey has created quite a platform for plot theatrics—and the book is not without a few blockbuster moments—but her real interest is psychological. This is why, though the novel juggles seven narrators, it is so consistently engrossing. Consider the wit and precision of this portrait of Helen: "Awareness of imminent possible death is not without beneficial properties. Risk of annihilation can be a key ingredient, like baking soda. A teaspoon or so is sufficient to make all the other components rise up in glory, but without it? No cake." Although the contours of a space drama may seem familiar to a 21st-century readership, Howrey, through the poetry of her writing and the richness of her characters, makes it all seem new. A lyrical and subtle space opera.

Kirkus Reviews