Lennox is a troubled teenager with no family. Ava is eight months pregnant and fleeting her abusive husband. Heather is a grieving mother and cancer sufferer. They don't know each other, but when a meteor streaks over Edinburgh, all three suffer instant, catastrophic strokes ...
... only to wake up the following day in hospital, miraculously recovered.
When the news reaches them of an octopus-like creature washed up on the shore near where the meteor came to earth, Lennox senses that some extra-terrestrial forces are at play. With the help of Ava, Heather and a journalist, Ewan, he rescues the creature they call "Sandy" and goes on the run. But they aren't the only ones with an interest in the alien … close behind are Ava's husband, the police and a government unit who wants to capture the creature at all costs. And Sandy's arrival may have implications beyond anything they could imagine.
"It finally made sense, the idea that Sandy was plural. We all are. And the human idea of being singular, apart, alone, was a ridiculous way of looking at life."
An out-of-this-world, mesmerising first-contact story about the striking importance and impact of true connection. Now, this is not at all what I expected from Doug - I've adored his writing in the past, in it's dark, gritty criminal glory but this is an absolutely majestic change of pace that he has undeniably nailed. He has a way of capturing the essence of something so deeply human and real, then laying it bare on the pages amongst a story for us to watch and wonder.
This intriguing novel is a refreshing sci-fi journey set in modern Scotland, that reads so easily it could've only been written by a master of their craft. I devoured the entire thing in one sitting, disconnecting myself from the outside world and transported to one so familiar but so strange.
Each of out characters were deeply personable, instantly recognisable with their distinct voices as we hear from each perspective; the switches happening smoothly, quietly telling us that they are all part of something larger if we can just find the link. All of them are suffering with something, looking for a way out but never really knowing what that could look like. The relationships between them grew beautifully, a connection and bond forming not only over their shared experiences but something much more meaningful as they recognise something within each other.
Their journey to find out more about Sandy and his kind was fraught with obstacles, both personal and from the outside, but as they sped towards their destination with determination, they work together to get through every single absurd series of events that was thrown their way. I felt their anxiety, their fear, but also the love and understanding they were learning to find.
An adrenaline-filled astral adventure, with a tender and authentic introspection about the beauty of true human connection that really can traverse the space between us.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours and Karen at Orenda Books for inviting me to take part in this tour.
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