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An NPR, The Millions, and PopSugar Best Book of 2022
A Vulture, Tor.com, LitHub, Philadelphia Inquirer, Debutiful, DailyHive, Gizmodo, and ALTAJournal Best Book of Fall
CALIBA Golden Poppy Award Winner
"Surprising, captivating, surpassingly intelligent."―Kevin Brockmeier, author of The Ghost Variations
For fans of Station Eleven and Light from Other Stars, Ethan Chatagnier's propulsive, genre-bending debut novel asks: what happens when we discover intelligent life just next door? And what does it really mean to know we're not alone in the universe?
The odds of the planet next door hosting intelligent life are-that's not luck. That's a miracle. It means something.
In December 1960, Crystal Singer, her boyfriend Rick, and three other MIT grad students take a cross-country road trip from Boston to Arizona to paint a message in the desert. Mars has been silent for thirty years, since the last time Earth solved one of the mathematical proofs the Martian civilization carved onto its surface. The latest proof, which seems to assert contradictory truths about distance, has resisted human understanding for decades. Crystal thinks she's solved it, and Rick is intent on putting her answer to the test-if he can keep her from cracking under the pressure on the way. But Crystal's disappearance after the experiment will set him on a different path than he expected, forever changing the distance between them.
Filled with mystery and wonder, Ethan Chatagnier's Singer Distance is a novel about ambition, loneliness, exploration, and love-about how far we're willing to go to communicate with a distant civilization, and the great lengths we'll travel to connect with each other here on Earth. Entrancing. . . . Chatagnier writes with a real compassion and sensitivity-this is a love story at its heart, one that's both beautiful and unforgettable.-NPR Books
A novel of twin obsessions. . . . romantically attracted to the discovery of a new mathematical system for understanding intimacy and communication.-The Wall Street Journal
The best kind of literary sci-fi, the kind of novel that makes the reader appreciate the mystery and beauty of our little, infinite universe.-The Millions
A worthy addition to books that revisit the past with some property of the natural world fundamentally altered, like several Ted Chiang stories [and] Catherynne M. Valente's Radiance.
-Tor.com
Clever.-Vulture
Nifty. . . . Singer Distance feels like a recent, character-driven indie film in the vein of Safety Not Guaranteed or Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.
-Philadelphia Inquirer
Chatagnier is a beautiful writer. . . . This is a wondrous reading experience, a thoughtful and provocative encounter with literary artistry that is to be savored.-Locus
At once intimate and universal. . . . Uses artfully sketched characters to explore the difficulties of meaningful connection-not just with far-away planets, but also with each other. If you are a huge fan of Erica Swyler's Light from Other Stars, be sure to give this one a go.
-Mystery Scene Magazine
Richly drawn and explores a heartfelt perspective on the theme of connection.-PopSugar
Atmospheric. . . . an exploration of ambition, loneliness, and love.-DailyHive
Absorbing. . . . Timeless. . . . a beautiful musing on science and philosophy and how to measure physical and emotional distance.-Historical Novel Society
Fascinating. . . . One remarkable feature of this wonderful novel is its cinematic atmosphere. . . . [Chatagnier's] infectious imagination is sure to appeal to many readers.-Las Vegas Review of Books
Soaring. . . . Excellent. . . . The elements of astronomy, numerology, love, and the possibility of extraterrestrial life are structured perfectly. . . . Readers are in for a memorable adventure.-Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
Exquisite. . . . Its turns are both intelligent and magical, and its surprises are
A Vulture, Tor.com, LitHub, Philadelphia Inquirer, Debutiful, DailyHive, Gizmodo, and ALTAJournal Best Book of Fall
CALIBA Golden Poppy Award Winner
"Surprising, captivating, surpassingly intelligent."―Kevin Brockmeier, author of The Ghost Variations
For fans of Station Eleven and Light from Other Stars, Ethan Chatagnier's propulsive, genre-bending debut novel asks: what happens when we discover intelligent life just next door? And what does it really mean to know we're not alone in the universe?
The odds of the planet next door hosting intelligent life are-that's not luck. That's a miracle. It means something.
In December 1960, Crystal Singer, her boyfriend Rick, and three other MIT grad students take a cross-country road trip from Boston to Arizona to paint a message in the desert. Mars has been silent for thirty years, since the last time Earth solved one of the mathematical proofs the Martian civilization carved onto its surface. The latest proof, which seems to assert contradictory truths about distance, has resisted human understanding for decades. Crystal thinks she's solved it, and Rick is intent on putting her answer to the test-if he can keep her from cracking under the pressure on the way. But Crystal's disappearance after the experiment will set him on a different path than he expected, forever changing the distance between them.
Filled with mystery and wonder, Ethan Chatagnier's Singer Distance is a novel about ambition, loneliness, exploration, and love-about how far we're willing to go to communicate with a distant civilization, and the great lengths we'll travel to connect with each other here on Earth. Entrancing. . . . Chatagnier writes with a real compassion and sensitivity-this is a love story at its heart, one that's both beautiful and unforgettable.-NPR Books
A novel of twin obsessions. . . . romantically attracted to the discovery of a new mathematical system for understanding intimacy and communication.-The Wall Street Journal
The best kind of literary sci-fi, the kind of novel that makes the reader appreciate the mystery and beauty of our little, infinite universe.-The Millions
A worthy addition to books that revisit the past with some property of the natural world fundamentally altered, like several Ted Chiang stories [and] Catherynne M. Valente's Radiance.
-Tor.com
Clever.-Vulture
Nifty. . . . Singer Distance feels like a recent, character-driven indie film in the vein of Safety Not Guaranteed or Seeking a Friend for the End of the World.
-Philadelphia Inquirer
Chatagnier is a beautiful writer. . . . This is a wondrous reading experience, a thoughtful and provocative encounter with literary artistry that is to be savored.-Locus
At once intimate and universal. . . . Uses artfully sketched characters to explore the difficulties of meaningful connection-not just with far-away planets, but also with each other. If you are a huge fan of Erica Swyler's Light from Other Stars, be sure to give this one a go.
-Mystery Scene Magazine
Richly drawn and explores a heartfelt perspective on the theme of connection.-PopSugar
Atmospheric. . . . an exploration of ambition, loneliness, and love.-DailyHive
Absorbing. . . . Timeless. . . . a beautiful musing on science and philosophy and how to measure physical and emotional distance.-Historical Novel Society
Fascinating. . . . One remarkable feature of this wonderful novel is its cinematic atmosphere. . . . [Chatagnier's] infectious imagination is sure to appeal to many readers.-Las Vegas Review of Books
Soaring. . . . Excellent. . . . The elements of astronomy, numerology, love, and the possibility of extraterrestrial life are structured perfectly. . . . Readers are in for a memorable adventure.-Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
Exquisite. . . . Its turns are both intelligent and magical, and its surprises are