Book Review: Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

A new Taylor Jenkins Reid (TJR) book? Yes please! I’ve loved all TJR’s releases over the last five or so years – Daisy Jones and the Six, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Malibu Rising, etc. She’s always an author that I like to recommend to others. So, I was very excited when I saw the announcement for her latest book ‘Atmosphere’ that came out in June.

Atmosphere is set in 1980s America and tells the story of Joan Goodwin, a university physics and astronomy professor who knows everything about the stars. When Joan sees an ad seeking the first female scientists to join NASA’s Space Shuttle programme she signs up, and after a gruelling application process is eventually selected to join the programme and start training at Houston’s Johnson Space Centre. We follow Joan through her years of training and the lead-up to a significant space mission in December 1984. The story cuts back and forth between the two timelines.

The book seemed well researched, and I enjoyed learning about this time at NASA and the hurdles that women had to jump through to be treated on a level playing field with the male scientists and astronauts. As in some of her other novels, TJR has focused on a profession and a time when it was very male dominated.  It was reminiscent of the biography and subsequent film Hidden Figures which is also set at NASA, albeit 20 years earlier, with the three female protagonists who had to overcome both gender and race discrimination to prove their worth.  

The subtitle for this book is “A love story” and that’s what’s really at the heart of ‘Atmosphere’. I don’t want to provide any spoilers as to who becomes our love interest for Joan as the relationship develops with the story. However, what I did enjoy was Joan’s own journey of self-discovery as the romantic relationship unfolds. Throughout her life, Joan’s own desires have usually taken a backseat while she prioritises other people. It’s a big adjustment for Joan to start working out what she wants in life and realising that there’s nothing wrong with letting that take priority. With this personal growth she also figures out the give and take of being in her first serious romantic relationship.

There is another ’love story’ aspect in Atmosphere that I will talk about (as I think it’s less of a spoiler) which is Joan’s love for her niece Frances. Joan’s younger sister Barbara is a single mother, and she relies heavily on Joan for support in raising Frances. Her and Joan have a complex relationship, with Barbara’s often self-centred actions having a significant impact on Joan being able to put herself first. Joan is a constant in Frances’ life and is always there for her even when Barbara isn’t. They have a beautiful relationship, and I like the prominence that it took in the story as it showed not only the profound impact that Joan had on Frances’ life, but how much Frances makes Joan’s life better.

Once again, another enjoyable TJR read with a strong and ambitious female protagonist. I eagerly await her next release!

Posted by Rachel Reads

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