Chunshek Chan reviewed The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper
"The Gravity of Us": cute leisurely YA read, but lack of character development keeps it in low orbit
3 stars
High school junior Cal Lewis is a budding journalist in Brooklyn, New York, who has earned a social media following for his enterprising live streams in the city. But when his father is picked as the unlikely final astronaut for the Orpheus V mission, in which NASA will send humans to Mars, Cal's life is completely uprooted at a moment's notice, and his aspirations – including his BuzzFeed internship – shattered.
But the move to Clear Lake City, in the suburb of Houston, among other astronaut families, while upsetting, does not stop him from pursuing his goals. As two tragedies strike with the mission, Cal finds himself caught between the well-meaning NASA which has been hapless at getting social media traction for the mission, astronaut families that are not as perfect as they appear, and a vulturous reality TV operation that cares more about drama and rating than anything else. …
High school junior Cal Lewis is a budding journalist in Brooklyn, New York, who has earned a social media following for his enterprising live streams in the city. But when his father is picked as the unlikely final astronaut for the Orpheus V mission, in which NASA will send humans to Mars, Cal's life is completely uprooted at a moment's notice, and his aspirations – including his BuzzFeed internship – shattered.
But the move to Clear Lake City, in the suburb of Houston, among other astronaut families, while upsetting, does not stop him from pursuing his goals. As two tragedies strike with the mission, Cal finds himself caught between the well-meaning NASA which has been hapless at getting social media traction for the mission, astronaut families that are not as perfect as they appear, and a vulturous reality TV operation that cares more about drama and rating than anything else. With his loyal follower base, the teenager soon realizes he holds more power than he initially thought.
If you love stories around human aspiration to explore our solar system, if you love stories about the media circus, if you love stories of unlikely heroes who have to find their bearings in unfamiliar territories, "The Gravity of Us" would be a nice, leisurely, read for you with a light and adorable story line.
I realize "The Gravity of Us" is YA fiction. I would, however, have liked to see more character development in the book. Save for a two-faced side character who only appeared a handful of times, virtually all characters (our hero included) have rather one-dimensional depictions. Sure, most of them are quite likeable, which makes the book a fun read. But since I actually like these characters – I was rooting for them throughout – I would have enjoyed exploring each of their personalities much more than the book gave us. The romance arc fell especially flat because of this lack of depth.
