In Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid delivers a story that’s as much about the mechanics of the heart as it is about the physics of flight, orbiting around NASA’s Johnson Space Centre.

As the UK paperback edition is released, it’s the perfect time to revisit what is arguably Reid’s most introspective and technically ambitious work to date. It’s a novel that explores the quiet, often painful necessity of carving out a path where none exists. But, most significantly, it’s a novel that reveals how the most significant journeys of our lives are rarely taken alone.

The novel’s structure is as precisely engineered as the rockets that took the astronauts to the heavens, using the same dual-timeline approach that has served her so well in the past. The story starts in 1984, amidst a harrowing emergency on mission STS-LR9. Our protagonist, astrophysicist Joan Goodwin, is acting as CAPCOM, her voice the only tether for a crew stranded in the lonely silence of orbit. Opening on a crisis provides a tense, atmospheric framework for the narrative, immediately establishing the life-and-death reality of the space programme. 

From this gripping beginning, we’re pulled back seven years to the summer of 1980. We follow Joan as she answers an advertisement for the first women scientists to join the space shuttle programme. Having never considered space a remote possibility, Joan quickly finds herself in Houston, having been selected from a pool of thousands. This change from promising academic to astronaut candidate is rendered with a stunning level of detail that truly immerses readers in the zeitgeist of  the era.

Much of the technical preparation is fascinating to anyone who has even a passing interest in space. But the true pulse of Atmosphere is found within the relationships that Joan builds with her cohort. 

The claustrophobic pressure of training creates an unlikely bond between the diverse group of candidates, including the easy-going Top Gun pilot, Hank Redmond, and the sharp-edged mission specialist, Lydia Danes. However, it is Vanessa Ford, a magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who truly shifts Joan’s orbit. Set against the conservative backdrop of the 1980s, their connection evolves slowly from a professional respect into a secret, high-stakes queer romance.  For Joan, meeting Vanessa is a pivotal moment in her life. It’s a catalyst for self-discovery, which makes her realise her lack of romantic interest in the past wasn’t an absence of feeling, but a result of looking in the wrong places. 

Setting the story during this period makes the stakes of their love uniquely high. Agonisingly, Joan and Vanessa must navigate the tension between their personal happiness and their professional survival. Reid manages to bring a profound level of emotional honesty to this exploration of identity, delicately capturing the courage it must take to stop performing and start being, even when the world, and NASA, is watching on.

For a story set at such a pivotal time in history, many of the most touching moments happen far away from the launchpad. Joan is a devoted aunt to her niece, Frances, serving as a maternal figure in the absence of a mother. This relationship served as a touching, grounded counterpoint to the cosmic ambitions of the main plot. Reid manages to capture the bittersweet joy of watching a child grow up with a delicacy that feels universal. These domestic moments serve to remind us that while Joan’s ambitions lie in reaching for the stars, her heart remains connected to the people she loves on Earth.

Readers who found Reid’s writing through the propulsive energy of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo may find Atmosphere to feel like a departure, much as it is a more measured, atmospheric piece, rooted deeply in technical realism. However, this calmness feels intentional, imitating the reality of that era. The long hours of waiting, as well as the quiet, after-hours conversations that build a foundation for the drama to follow.

Though it’s still in the very early stages of development, it’s unsurprising that Laika Studios is working on a live-action film adaptation, with Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Half Nelson, Sugar, and Marvel’s Captain America) attached to write and direct. Given the novel’s blend of technical spectacle and intimate emotional nuance, the adaptation promises to be a visually stunning exploration of Reid’s interstellar love story.

Ultimately, Atmosphere is a celebration of vulnerability. It rightly cements Taylor Jenkins Reid’s status as a chronicler of the human condition, capable of finding profound beauty in the smallest of interactions. Whether you’re drawn to the historical setting or the tender romance at its centre, it is a story that is full of heart and will be one you won’t regret picking up.

Other works by Taylor Jenkins Reid

If Atmosphere captured your attention, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s wider body of work continues her exploration of complex identities, the cost of ambition, and the hidden lives of those in the spotlight:

• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017)

• Daisy Jones & The Six (2019)

• Malibu Rising (2021)

• Carrie Soto Is Back (2022)

Reach for stories that expand your horizon with Victoria Freudenheim

If you’re drawn to fiction that navigates the complex tangle between the heart and ambition, explore our contemporary and romance reviews.   

Or, if you’re looking for a complete change of pace, why not delve into our latest reviews? We have a diverse mix of reviews spanning everything from horror, crime, thrillers, and fantasy. And for a regular dose of bookish inspiration, keep up to date with the Victoria Freudenheim blog, too.