Girlfriend on Mars
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Girlfriend on Mars
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Narrated by:
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Landon Doak
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Vanessa Matsui
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Written by:
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Deborah Willis
About this listen
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 STEPHEN LEACOCK MEMORIAL MEDAL FOR HUMOUR* *LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE* *LONGLISTED FOR THE FOREST OF READING EVERGREEN AWARD* *SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 ALBERTA LITERARY AWARDS GEORGES BUGNET AWARD FOR FICTION*
“A sharp, funny take on capitalism, climate change, and our lifelong mission to be loved.” —People
A funny, poignant, and compelling debut novel that skewers billionaire-funded space travel in a love story of interplanetary proportions.
Amber Kivinen is moving to Mars. Or at least, she will be if she wins a chance to join MarsNow. She and twenty-three reality TV contestants from around the world—including a handsome Israeli, an endearing fellow Canadian, and an assortment of science nerds and wannabe influencers—are competing for two seats on the first human-led mission to Mars, sponsored by billionaire Geoff Task. Meanwhile Kevin, Amber’s boyfriend of fourteen years, was content going nowhere until Amber left him—and their hydroponic weed business—behind. As he tends to the plants growing in their absurdly overpriced Vancouver basement apartment, Kevin tunes in to find out why the love of his life is so determined to leave the planet with somebody else.
An audaciously original debut from an “immensely talented writer” (Emily St. John Mandel), Girlfriend on Mars is at once a satirical indictment of our pursuit of fame and wealth amidst environmental crisis, and an exploration of humanity’s deepest longing, greatest quest, and most enduring cliché: love.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2023 Deborah Willis (P)2023 Hamish HamiltonWhat the critics say
*FINALIST FOR THE 2024 STEPHEN LEACOCK MEMORIAL MEDAL FOR HUMOUR*
*LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE*
*LONGLISTED FOR THE FOREST OF READING EVERGREEN AWARD*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 ALBERTA LITERARY AWARDS GEORGES BUGNET AWARD FOR FICTION*
One of CBC Books "Best Fiction of 2023”
“Part disaffected-slacker rom-com, part social satire, part wistful end-of-the-world eulogy for ordinary, unscripted love. . . . Winsome, sweet, and apocalyptic―a perfect blend for the end of days.”
―Kirkus Reviews
“[A] story with the grip of a good drama series. . . . While the setup could have made for a breezy read, Willis cuts deep with insight. . . . Every detail is sharply placed by Willis, who has a scorching sense of humor and a soft spot for humanity down here on Earth.”
―Alex Beggs, New York Times Book Review
“Deborah Willis’ debut novel Girlfriend on Mars veers giddily on the brink between satire and tragedy, transporting us to places we never dreamed we’d go. . . . However fantastic, nutty and corrupt this all sounds, we are reminded that Musk and his fellow billionaires are already deep into space travel. And that reality, together with Willis’ witty writing, entangles us in the quagmire of comedy, love and fear portrayed in these pages. Sometimes it seems as if this Vancouver couple might represent one whole—albeit flawed—being, with Kevin representing feeling, and Amber, blind ambition, and the universal urge to flee town, or in this case, the planet, while earthly love takes a back seat.”
—Toronto Star