The Falling Sky

by Pippa Goldschmidt

A blackly comic campus satire combined with a heart-breaking family mystery, The Falling Sky brilliantly mixes fiction and astronomy into a fascinating, compelling, and moving narrative.

Jeanette is a young, solitary post-doctoral researcher who has dedicated her life to studying astronomy. Struggling to compete in a prestigious university department dominated by egos and incompetents, and caught in a cycle of brief and unsatisfying affairs, she travels to a mountaintop observatory in Chile to focus on her research. There Jeanette stumbles upon evidence that will challenge the fundamentals of the universe, drawing her into conflict with her colleagues and the scientific establishment, but also casting her back to the tragic loss that defined her childhood.

As the implications of her discovery gather momentum, and her relationships spiral out of control, Jeanette's own grip on reality is threatened, finally forcing her to confront the hidden past. This bittersweet debut novel blends black comedy, heartbreaking tragedy, and fascinatingly accessible science, in an intricate and beautiful examination of one woman's disintegration and journey to redemption.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, LGBT

263 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2013

Reviews

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of interesting bits about astronomy as well as commentary on working in academia. Metaphors of the void in space work well as the story tells us about the sad death of the main character's sister. Similar themes were important in The Wanderers and Good Morning Midnight, but this book didn't quite hold my interest in the same way.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an unusual novel in which not much happens. It is told entirely from the perspective of Jeanette, a Postdoc in astronomy who studies galaxies, lives in Edinburgh, and sometimes dates women. Her life revolves around her studies and she has a troubled relationship with her parents, a legacy of her sister’s death when they were children. I found Jeanette an unusually sympathetic character that I could definitely relate to, which gave the novel considerable appeal for me. It is also thoughtfully written, although I could have done without the dream interludes. As an illustration of academia it seems accurate to me; I liked Jeanette’s supervisor being nicknamed The Death Star. I’m not sure why it is labelled a ‘blackly comic campus satire’, though. I found it to be a simple but well-done portrait of a type of woman that I can rarely find in literature. Even though it didn’t go very far, I liked Jeanette enough to find the slow journey very involving.

[Jeanette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not bad at the beginning but the stiry dragged on and there was no proper structure to the plot / I can't even remember the ending and I only finished last night. Not great

[Tanya · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘It’s funny how we concentrate on the things we can see, the galaxies and stars, and we forget about the absences. All the spaces in between. But they’re just as important. Trying to work out why things aren’t there is just as important as why they are.’ [loc. 3845]

There are two narrative threads to The Falling Sky: 'Now', and 'Then'. 'Now' tells of Jeanette, an astronomer living in Edinburgh, and her observation of something that appears to contradict the Big Bang model of the universe. 'Then' is the story of Jeanette's youth, growing up first in the shadow of her sister Kate, a talented swimmer, and then in the silent void left by Kate's sudden, accidental death, which their parents never talk about in front of Jeanette.

I found astronomer-Jeanette engaging, with her momentous discovery, her poor social skills and her fraught love life. (She's a lesbian, but not an especially proactive one.) Goldschmidt, who says in the afterword that 'I wanted to bring to life the process of doing astronomy and show both the beauty and the uncertainty of that process', is good at conveying both the sense of wonder and the humdrum routine of a professional astronomer's life. Jeanette's desire to open up her research for discussion causes friction with those around her, and her observational talents desert her when they are focussed on other people.

There's some resolution to the story, and some sense that Jeanette is beginning to deal with her sister's death and with the other losses she's experienced: but I wanted more sense of closure, of completion, of questions answered. Perhaps that's the problem with astronomy as a metaphor, though: 'the uncertainty of that process'.

I visited Blackford Hill (the site of Edinburgh's Royal Observatory, and the setting for some of the novel) last year. I think it's coincidence that The Falling Sky surfaced from the un-downloaded depths of my TBR quite soon after that visit.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a hard book to read while breathing. It kept taking my breath away.

A beautifully written novel about an astronomer, a human being, and the limits of the universe. It's about loss and hope and relationships and growth and the nature of time and knowledge. It is incredibly well done.

It did make me desperately sad at points, but it's not a bummer of a book. I loved it.

[ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was kinda boring and i don’t really care about astronomy but i also love reading about people’s lives spiralling downhill

[Moore Flannery · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I liked this more, because unlike, say, Gone Girl, it's trying ever so hard. Its delivering on some fronts, a quirky premise which for most of the journey is not about what its pretending to be about, some real flashes of awkward, painful human encounters, and a sense of the smallness and nowness of people as set against the unknowable ness and infinitissimalness of galaxies. There are things here about coming to terms with things that you can't know, about science or people.

Which is attractive, and hard, specially when so many people will put this down saying its too sciencey. It's not too sciencey. What blows it is not really the sciencey- it's that having set Jeanette up to be a loaded quantity, careering round her own universe searching for meaning, and then hiving herself off from everything in her misery... It's a bit, well, boring. The lesbianism, the rocket explosion, the nervous breakdown? I hear you cry, they are boring???
Well yes. Sorry.

Its because all those things are secondary to the collapse of Jeanette. The last third of the book becomes massively, morbidly desperately only about one thing- an exploration of how grief and grieving will pull her down, and through and maybe, out the other side of a black hole. There an astronomy reference for you.

I felt flashes of Jeanette's rather private pain- in the pub when she encounters her lover by accident, and they coldly deny her to protect their prospective next conquest who is watching, listening. The conquest rather hang dog like talking to Jeanette at work the next day. These moments of isolation in the universe are familiar (please someone say its not just me). The mania with which she isolates herself at work, we've seen people do that haven't we, and you know its not good.

But the book loses itself entirely in her breaking off from science, from distance, from detachment, and going home to say out loud some things never hithertofore said. Except they're not very interesting, and mum and dad don't have anything interesting to say back- so it's a little bit of a damp squib. That's a firework reference rather than an astronomy one.

I wanted to like it more and score it more - like 3 stars! - but I stopped caring about Jeanette, and there wasn't anything else in the firmament ( astronomy there for you) to keep me .

[Ilona Bell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've got to admit, I didn't really like this book, as is probably obvious from the amount of stars I gave it. I thought Goldshmidt wrote fluently but often her descriptions were very clichéd for instance, 'The wind was a slap in the face'. I always remember that particular phrase being used as an example in English lessons for metaphors. The paragraphs of thought also tended to ramble on and I got bored quickly as there wasn't a whole lot of story line to the book.

I understand that the book was supposed to represent Jeanette's feelings and the beauty of astronomy but I believe this focus was too strong and therefore left the plot weak. Additionally, despite having studied astronomy, I felt that the technical details of the subject didn't really add anything to aid the recognition of it's supposed beauty.

One thing I did enjoy about the book, however, was the way it switched between the past and present of the protagonist's life yet I still felt the conclusion didn't really finalise the two parts to any degree and you were just left with more thought about the character's life.

[Tif · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I first picked up this book, I was excited. I love it when novels have a good feel for science.
I had read the feedback and reviews left on GoodReads about this book, something I don't normally do - and I wish I hadn't.
Most of the feedback about this book was terrible, with most readers using the word 'boring'.
I have to agree.

I found that the main protagonist Jeanette, was not very likeable. There was literally no substance given to the female lead and actually no descriptive work behind her. I don't think the book mentions what Jeanette even looks like.

As for the science, there was a good section of it involved. However, for the readers out there that aren't interested in Science - it's too much. And it gets boring.
I expected some deep and meaningful narrative, but all I seemed to get from this book was GCSE Physics and a story about a woman in which nothing happens to.

[Amelia Easten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling and emotional, Pippa Goldsmith weaves the personal explorations of her character's story with scientific explorations to create an intelligent and gripping read. The flawed character of Jeanette is likeable and easy to empathise with, as she struggles to balance the importance of research and her conflicts with her colleagues with her own messy and distressing personal life. Like the classic cliche, I laughed and cried as I followed Jeanette through the macrocosms and microcosms of the book. I can't wait to read more by the author, as this excellent debut promises a starry future.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happened to women's lives after the feminist revolution of the 20th Century? Find out in the The Falling Sky... A wonderfully realised and alarming portrait of the grubbiness in modern women's lives: the yearning for something that feels good, feels worthy of our attention -- and the workplace dynamics and friendships that, in fact, undermine rather than support our fulfilment. Relationship details are a particular strength of this book; and the revelation of childhood difficulties being the seed for everything that unravels later on. A writer with a very astute eye...

[David Kenvyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about grief, and adapting to the situation in which you find yourself. There are the little griefs, like the irritation on dealing with colleagues, there are more important griefs, like the breakdown of relationships, and there is bereavement. This is also a book about astronomy with the clever trick of convincing readers that we know what the author is talking about. This book is astonishing.

[Iain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant, enthralling book. There are too few literary novels that use science not just as a plot device, but as a system of imagery that enlightens both the story and the characters, and none I can think of that do it this well. Funny in places, heart-breaking in others, always deeply moving, The Falling Sky opens up both the universe around us and the voids at the heart of our lives.

[Miquel Codony · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3,5/5)

Jo, me ha dejado un poco tocado.

Tiene cosas que me gustan mucho. A ver si encuentro cuando hablar más de él.

Sienta bien alejarse un poco de la zona de confort.

[Akemi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful read. I found it very easy to become engaged with the emotional and yet isolated protagonist – a balance that I think represents the way a lot of people feel. There are many stories about a main character who isolates themselves and puts up walls that are detrimental to their happiness, but few that so carefully expose the hidden heart that drives them, as this novel does. I also appreciated how Jeanette’s personal and professional struggles were intertwined and really enjoyed reading about her work as an astronomer – it introduced me to a whole world of academic competition and captivatingly untrustworthy characters. Throughout Jeanette is also dealing with a personal tragedy and a painful romance that are both dealt with elegantly in sensitive and subtle ways.

[Frederic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall more like 3 stars for me, but the unusually accurate depiction of academia (even though exaggerated) earns it an extra bump. I haven't consciously been seeking out books featuring grief and lesbians, but this is the second in recent months. Like Mostly Dead Things this can be seen as a book where not a lot happens, but it's about identity and relationships more than things 'happening'.

[Joe Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read The Falling Sky by Pippa Goldschmidt. Just like her short stories, it's a beautiful depiction of what it means to be working today in science, and trying to be a human at the same time.

I just wish there was more of her writing to read.

[Mary Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting bits about astronomy in that it can never be known with absolute certainty. The personal parts were a bit less interesting.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t like the characters or the story.

[Angela Vella Zarb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good, and unexpected, novel. Picked it up on a whim and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Many elements rang true.

[Aziza H-R · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Kaden McGuire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite touching, but not that memorable. I was really interested in the story taking place in the past, but not so much the present.

[P.D. Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

You shouldn’t go into The Falling Sky thinking it will be a book full of sharp plot twists and turns, or a science fiction romp that keeps you guessing right up to the last page. No, this definitely isn’t that kind of book, this is at its core a meditative essay on life, loss and growing into adulthood, and then realising it doesn’t come with any certain answers.

The story takes place through the eyes of Jeanette, who is an adult postdoctoral researcher in astronomy. The book flips between the present day and the past, but at the start of the book we join her in the present, where she is attempting to gather data at a mountaintop observatory in Chile. It is there that by chance she finds two galaxies moving away in opposite directions from each other, which if correct could prove the big bang theory wrong, a theory which relies on the outward expansion of all matter. Such a potentially game changing discovery is just the thing she needs to move her career forward in such a competitive field as astronomy research, but she has to be careful around her peers, for some are not happy with the discovery itself, and she goes a little against protocol when she needs additional data to strengthen her theory, and as a result starts to make a few enemies within her circle. What is more relevant here though is not her discovery of these two galaxies, but how she handles her life and her relationships with the people around her. We feel that something is haunting her, something that drives her to seek out the unknown in the empty sky, but also something that you feel cannot be found in the places where she’s looking.

In the chapters that go back to the, then, we start to find out more about her childhood and the reasons behind her reluctance to let people into her heart. We learn that her sister, who was a very successful swimmer and got all of the attention, died when she was young and her parents don’t seem to have ever gotten over it. In fact they remain illusive about what really happened, and instead of embracing the one daughter they have left, you feel they don’t fully appreciate her existence, which has left Jeanette with a sense that she might just be invisible to them, and perhaps to all in her life.

Throughout the novel, Jeanette is revealed mostly through her relationships with women, and the most heart breaking, but at times lovely relationship in the book, is the one she has with Paula. The relationship is one frequented with bouts of sexual intimacy and closeness, but then cracks start to appear, and Paula starts to not notice Jeanette quite so much, and it’s a case of her relationship breaking down, and mirroring that which she has with her parents. She is invisible, but she is looking for answers, anywhere she can find them, whether that may be the in the naked night sky, or in her sister’s old room full of swimming medals.

The Falling Sky works on several different levels, and a good knowledge of astronomy is by no means necessary, as this is more about the characters within the book, rather than the details in the science. However I do feel that to have at least a base knowledge of the subject can only add to its enjoyment. For me, Goldschmidt utilises her knowledge of the subject very well, and you can tell that she was once an astronomer, for the ease with which she navigates through a lot of the technical detail is admirable, and it comes out so naturally that you can tell that this derived from first hand experience, rather than endless research.
There are some areas of the book that I didn’t like however, for example as we near the end of the story, we see certain characters suddenly letting go of their grudges with seemingly no explanation as to why. Likewise, her parents seem to all too easily change tact and find warmth once again for their daughter towards the end of the novel, but it seems too conveniently placed. I saw no motivation for the sudden shift, and it felt like a resolution brought about to end the story, rather than something organically unfolding and true to the characters themselves. Perhaps this is a little harsh of me to say, but that’s just something I felt personally.

On the whole however, I found this to be a quick and enjoyable read and could really relate to the characters that Goldschmidt provided. The economy and ease with which she covered the more technical areas of the story was perfect. There were some really good, heartfelt observations in the relationships too, and by the end I was happy with the way everything turned out, even if some parts seemed a little forced.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a goodreads First Reads giveaway.

This book is actually three distinct stories involving one character, which are intertwined and, eventually, woven together. First we have Jeanette, the young astronomer who observes phenomenon that flies in the face of accepted science, and could challenge belief in the Big Bang theory. Then we have Jeannette, the socially awkward woman whose physical relationships with other women never seem to fulfill her needs. Finally, there is Jeannette, the daughter and sister of a family that has never recovered from the sudden death of her only sibling, a champion swimmer who drowns at a swim practice.

As an astronomer, Jeannette often acts unprofessionally, the most glaring example of which is her publishing of a paper about the startling observation she and another astronomer made, and including a reference to work done by others without their permission. Her failure to secure that permission results in damage to her working relationships with two other people, and that damage has ripple effects that move into other aspects of her life. In addition, the destruction of a satellite that might have afforded the best opportunity to verify her startling observation eliminates the chance for her to gain professional acceptance.

Her romantic relationships have been limited to rejection, at least one totally manipulative partner, and, at this point in her life, a former roommate who again shares an apartment with her. In their first time living together, there was no relationship; now, Jeannette has a passionate physical involvement with a woman who had previously seemed to be almost aggressively heterosexual.

As the sole surviving child of a family that has lost its firstborn, brightly-shining star, Jeannette is plagued by feelings of being unloved, an afterthought. Her parents have never spoken of her sister's death, and have retreated into their own shells as they struggle to cope with their loss. Jeannette, meanwhile, has had to cope with losing her sister, and then, with losing the attention and affection of her parents.

As all of these situations merge, Jeannette's grip on reality begins to slip. She stops speaking, retreats even farther from her coworkers, and becomes incapable of working. Desperate for answers, she challenges her parents to finally tell her how her sister died. The answers she receives are not as satisfying as she had hoped, and the story ends with less a resolution than an acceptance.

Each of these individual stories contributes to Jeannette's character, and yet by including all of them in a book under 300 pages, none of them is truly developed to its full potential. I would have preferred to see a fuller resolution of the questions surrounding the accuracy of Jeannette's discovery. The resolution of her issues with her parents is too sudden, having been unaddressed for so many years. Her romantic life sees her becoming stronger, and less dependent, but we are left unsure of how that will change anything.

So a novel that had much potential left me unsatisfied at the end. For that reason, I would give it only three stars. However, the writing was sufficiently good that I would probably read a sequel that would bring full resolution to Jeannette's story.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland

The Falling Sky was...blah. I am finding it hard to have any feelings towards this book. It was just there. I read words, but it wasn't anything. This is the story of Jeanette and she is so...missing. It is like she is not even in the story even though it is about her. She just seems to be floating along not doing much, not being able to connect with other people, just in this strange world. She was so odd.

I did like the "then" chapters at first. Jeanette's sister died when she was young and those chapters at first were really interesting. I loved the way she described her world, how her parents were kind of shut down, how she made up stories for where her sister was and all of that. It was really interesting to read, but the "now" chapters were...she is still detached from like everything. She has relationships with people, but I don't even know if she really has them or not. They are just...like non existent in her world so much so that it was just like she is in a fog and I am trying to figure out the story without being able to see everything. I did not enjoy it, but it also just left me feeling ambivalent towards Jeanette. It's hard to even put into word my thoughts since I am just like "meh" when I think of the story. She was kind of like mist - there, but not a substantial thing.

The one thing I will say that I didn't like is all the astronomy in the story. I don't know enough about it to know why her findings would be a big deal and why they would contradict a well known theory. The book does say well this is what it is, this is what it should be, so that means this theory might be wrong, but I don't know enough to make that jump myself. I don't even know what redshifts are so...The book tells you what things mean in the general context, but not what they actually are so if you are like me and know basically nothing about astronomy you won't get it. The first half of the book was especially astronomy heavy and I just skimmed through a lot since I don't know what they were talking about really. Maybe if I could have connected with Jeanette I wouldn't have minded not knowing all of the astronomy, but since I didn't I wanted something to fill that void.

So yeah. This book is just blah. It is odd as normally I have some feelings towards the story, but this one I just don't. It just is. It exists. It is nothing. Odd.

[The Book Eaters · Rating 4 out of 5]

The original review, and many other reviews and features, can be found at http://thebookeaters.co.uk

I admit I was first attracted to this book by its cover and title (aspiring authors take note, your book will be judged this way no matter how often we’re told not too!)

It’s a shallow reason, but this is not a shallow novel. It is the kind of book you feel cleverer when you finish, although at no point does it preach to you. In fact the hero of the story Jeanette, although intelligent and mostly likeable, is not the ideal role model. She is a young astronomer struggling to compete in a field dominated by ego’s and apparently unassailable truths. Her personal life could hardly be considered a roaring success either, her love affairs seem to happen to her and she gratefully falls in love with anyone that will spend time with her. Her relationship with her parents is difficult since her older sister died in a swimming accident when she was ten. She often thinks it would have been better all round if she’d died and her sister had lived.

So when she stumbles upon evidence that seems to challenge the Big Bang theory she is ill-prepared to deal with the sudden limelight and respect or the backlash from her colleagues and the scientific establishment. Before long her entire life is unravelling forcing her to grab hold of the most important threads and try to weave them back together.

I found this debut novel to be a remarkably easy read. She writes about the business end of astronomy but in such a way that a complete lay person like myself is drawn into it. Indeed by the time I’d finished it I felt I could probably bluff my way through a post -doc in Astronomy myself!

However what really makes this hang together is the utterly believable characters, not one person in the book was perfect, they all had their failings yet this made them stronger and more likeable. A dash of black comedy thrown in balances the tragedy and the science, to make for a fascinating read. I’ll look out for more from Pippa Goldschmidt.

4 bites

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book in a Blackwell’s 3-for-2 offer without knowing anything more about it than the cover blurb, but I am very glad I did. I was drawn to it largely by the fact that the story is set mostly in Edinburgh, in the astronomical observatory on Blackford Hill, a location which I know very well. It is rare to encounter Edinburgh in fiction unless you read Ian Rankin!

The story is very contemporary and convincing. It is interesting to learn about the nitty-gritty, day-to-day tedium of ‘doing’ astronomy, and the details of all the internal politics and competition reminds me that I am glad not to work in academia. The central character engaged my sympathy and I found the book very engrossing, as I was keen to find out what happened next. The style is ‘literary’ without being at all oblique, apart from just one or two small sections where the central character’s loss of control over her life is reflected in the prose.

It could also be classified as ‘LGBT fiction’, but I really liked the fact that no big deal is made of the central character’s sexuality, thus normalising it.

I shall definitely keep an eye open for future books by Pippa Goldschmidt, as this is an excellent debut.

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to really getting into this novel. The language and narration was beautiful throughout, but it wasn't until about halfway through that the story actually got me engaged. The ending isn't necessarily satisfying, but it coincides well with Goldschmidt's desire to portray "the beauty and the uncertainty" in astronomy as well as in life.

I also really enjoyed the three-dimensional look at Jeanette's life. It wasn't just a story about her career or her childhood or her family or her romantic relationships. It was about her whole life. I loved that Jeanette's sexuality isn't treated as a plot point, but is really seen as one aspect of her life and who she is as a person. Her sexuality is a part of her identity but it isn't the only part. Jeanette faces difficulties due to others' perception of her sexuality, but is not struggling to define her sexuality itself. I like this way of looking at one's sexuality and think it helped make Jeanette a very strong character in the novel.

Overall, I think this was a wonderful novel, but it did take some effort to get through.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"They don't know what it means, but it is unexpected, and therefore interesting."

This is a tricky book to rate because on the one hand I really like Jeanette and how she's portrayed as a woman in the scientific field.

On the other hand, the book also strays into other areas around sexuality and loss and family and I felt Jeanette sort of got buried in it all. And maybe that was part of the point - Jeanette feeling invisible and being so passive and so little actually happening in the book...but I kept thinking if the story had focused on what Jeanette thought about the way her colleagues treated her and if the story explored more of these interactions she had with other people it would have been more interesting.

I also think things sort of went a different direction near the end that I expected to happen either earlier in the book or not at all. So much of the book focuses on Jeanette's past when what I found interesting was her present.

Overall I think it's an interesting look at a singular woman in a specific place and time just trying to keep her life together.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a First Reads giveaway. This is a debut if I am not mistaken, and if that is the case, well done. I did not feel particularly engaged, but at the same time something kept drawing me back to the book and I read it quite quickly. There was some graphic sex, not entirely necessary IMHO. In a way it reminds me a bit of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, in the way that a family withdraws from one another after a tragedy. It linked as well to Percival's Planet: A Novel as far as the astronomy went, and to Possession as it related to the academic life. The blurb here on GR is really a very good one in terms of accuracy. The cover artwork is very lovely also. I enjoyed it and wish the author well on her future projects.