Some do at some points and at other points they seem like the worst of enemies. Not all of them get along with Elma, some do, some don't. All of them are complex in their own way. All pilots, all striving for something more than the scraps they are given by the misogynistic society they live in. She turns him into a character, one as complex and with as many layers as Elma herself.Īnd I would be completely remiss if I didn't mention the cavalcade of other amazing women that populate the novel. But Kowal does that exceedingly rare thing and makes him more than a caricature. He is crass, rude, and seemingly wants nothing more than to see her fail. He belittles not just Elma but all women on the basis of gender. Because he is what a lot of men in positions of power would have been like in the 50s. Parker, the antagonist, though it feels reductive to label him as such. He is a wonderful character because he is believable.
There's Elma's husband, Nathaniel, the supportive, also frustrating and also sometimes pig-headed partner.
But she isn't the only character in the novel, she is the main one, sure, but every character is thought out and everyone is fleshed out. Elma York has more depth than the entire cast of some novels and as you travel with her through this period of her life you get to know her inside and out. She is the heart of this novel and what a heart it is. You love Elma when she is right, when she is wrong, when she is frustrating and when she is hilarious.
You love her when she views herself as fragile, as weak, even though you know she is neither of those things. You love her when she puts the opinions of other people ahead of her own, despite her being right. You love her when she stands up for herself and others in the face of 1950s (and today, let's be honest) misogyny. In the 50s a meteorite strikes the east coast of America, and the resulting environmental effects are essentially going to make Earth uninhabitable. The Calculating Stars is alternate scifi history. It comes down to Kowal and her incredible ability to create some of the most realistic characters I have ever read.īut first let me fill you in on the world that Kowal builds. How can it be all of those seemingly contradictory things? Elma's journey is heartbreaking, frustrating, disappointing, hilarious, filled with heart, and joyful. I have never cheered as hard whilst reading a book as I did when I got to the last chapter of The Calculating Stars.Ĭheered and cried to be honest with you.
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