Good Morning, Midnight - April Meetup

The book for April is Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton. We have posted information about the book, the author, and discussion questions. The meeting location is listed with the meetup info. Should you RSVP "yes" and then decide not to come, it is helpful if you change your RSVP to "no" or send a message. We wouldn't want you to miss the conversation, so we often wait for late arrivals. It helps to know who plans to attend. Hope to see you in April!

Good Morning, Midnight
For readers of Station Eleven and The Snow Child, Lily Brooks-Dalton’s haunting debut is the unforgettable story of two outsiders—a lonely scientist in the Arctic and an astronaut trying to return to Earth—as they grapple with love, regret, and survival in a world transformed.

Augustine, a brilliant, aging astronomer, is consumed by the stars. For years he has lived in remote outposts, studying the sky for evidence of how the universe began.

At his latest posting, in a research center in the Arctic, news of a catastrophic event arrives. The scientists are forced to evacuate, but Augustine stubbornly refuses to abandon his work. Shortly after the others have gone, Augustine discovers a mysterious child, Iris, and realizes that the airwaves have gone silent.

They are alone.

At the same time, Mission Specialist Sullivan is aboard the Aether on its return flight from Jupiter. The astronauts are the first human beings to delve this deep into space, and Sully has made peace with the sacrifices required of her: a daughter left behind, a marriage ended.

So far the journey has been a success. But when Mission Control falls inexplicably silent, Sully and her crewmates are forced to wonder if they will ever get home.

As Augustine and Sully each face an uncertain future against forbidding yet beautiful landscapes, their stories gradually intertwine in a profound and unexpected conclusion. In crystalline prose, Good Morning, Midnight poses the most important questions: What endures at the end of the world? How do we make sense of our lives?

Lily Brooks-Dalton’s captivating debut is a meditation on the power of love and the bravery of the human heart. (From the publisher.)

The Author
Lily Brooks-Dalton is the author of Motorcycles I've Loved: A Memoir (2015), and a novel, Good Morning, Midnight (2016), a sci-fi, survival-adventure story...sort of (2016). Growing up in Halifax, Vermont, Brooks-Dalton attended a boarding school but dropped out at 17. She got her Associates Degree from a local community college, saved some money, then took off to see the world.

After more than three years of traveling—from Ireland to India to Thailand and Australia—she returned home. By then she was 21 and at a loss for how to proceed with her life. A friend encouraged her to look into motorcycles, and soon enough, after buying a Rebel 250, Brooks-Dalton immersed herself in the world of gearheads, helmets, speed, and power. In the meantime, she discovered her own inner momentum: six years later out came her memoir. One year after that, she released Good Morning, Midnight. Lily currently lives in Portland, Oregon.

Discussion Questions
https://www.booksontape.com/discussion-guide/253390/good-morning-midnight/