in Ascension by Martin Macinnes

Susan Midalia's Review You don’t have to be a science fiction fan to thoroughly enjoy this novel. Leigh, a young and ambitious microbiologist, takes part in a project to investigate the ocean depths. She is then recruited, along with two other scientists, to undertake a long-range, top-secret journey to discover the source of mysterious signals from outer space and the exhilarating possibility of extra-terrestrial life. Drawing on the real missions of Voyagers 1 and 2, and blending extensive scientific research with fantastical speculation, the novel is a vertiginous, elating, at times deeply unsettling read. In the process, it raises crucial questions about our responsibility to our deeply damaged planet and to other human beings: parents, siblings, colleagues, even strangers who have experienced profound grief and loss. Recently longlisted for the Booker Prize, In Ascension is a conceptually dazzling page-turner and an elegiac meditation on the possible meanings of our existence in space and time. Publishers Reviews Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023'I don't think I've ever read a book that was as profound and moving at every scale' - Karen Joy Fowler'An instant classic. Read it and feel awe and wonder' - Neel MukherjeeLeigh grew up in Rotterdam, drawn to the waterfront as an escape from her unhappy home life and volatile father. Enchanted by the undersea world of her childhood, she excels in marine biology, travelling the globe to study ancient organisms. Drawn deeper into the agency's work, she learns that the Atlantic trench is only one of several related phenomena from across the world, each piece linking up to suggest a pattern beyond human understanding.