In a not-too-distant future where climate change has reshaped the planet, Leigh’s life is marked by turmoil. Born into a household ravaged by abuse and neglect, she finds solace in the scientific community, cultivating a career as both a microbiologist and marine ecologist. The discovery of an undersea thermal vent sparks her curiosity, drawing her to join a research team that ventures beneath the waves to collect samples. Leigh’s experience underwater is marked by a strange, unsettling pull that leaves her feeling disoriented and drained upon returning to the ship.
Her professional life takes a dramatic turn when she’s recruited by an enigmatic company with a vision for a deep space mission. The proposal: harness algae as a sustainable food source for a revolutionary journey to a distant point in the Oort cloud. Leigh is in one of several teams which could be selected for the mission, but a series of mishaps result in her team being the chosen crew. As they approach their target, a phenomenon known as a time shift sets them billions of years adrift.
If the premise sounds bizarre, the story and writing is no less so. The narrative repeatedly jumps between hard science fiction, deeply philosophical musings and the protagonists inner monologue. There is also a side plot, or at least, what I think is the side plot, of her deteriorating relationship with her sister and her declining mother whom she chooses not to visit. This is one of the novels where people are expected to ponder, read between the lines, and be deeply affected about the nature of relationships and the definition of home, or whatever. Doesn’t do it for me.