3 out of 4 stars
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What if someone could prove to you, scientifically, that aliens existed? After all, Stephen Hawking believed the existence of aliens to be likely. Are we so much wiser than him to doubt? In Reconciliation: Heaven and Earth by Diane de Simone we are brought along for the ride as Martha Mathewson’s belief of what is and what is not possible are challenged, and her entire life is rocked.
After years in a promising career, world-renowned astrophysicist, professor, and husband to Martha, Don Mathewson, began talking about and researching ET's in a way that was borderline fanatical. As the book opens Don has just died under mysterious circumstances, and his death is complicated by his recent estrangement from Martha.
Martha is a 48-year-old professor of cognitive psychology and she just wants to leave all the complications behind. This desire is further fueled by a creepy, and threatening, attempt at seduction by Kyle, Don’s grad student. And so Martha runs away, changes her name back to Marti Kahn, as she was known as a college student in New York. But it is not so easy as all that to leave the complications and troubles behind.
Marti, along with her daughter Deidre, a new friend and musician Larry, and old friends Bill and Yvonne Nilson, begin an adventure of government secrets, alien cover-ups, and an ever-present danger. What should she do with her husband's files? Why does the government want them? Who keeps breaking into her house to get them? What is in the hidden drawer in her husband's old desk? These things are putting her in danger! Who can she trust? Only time will tell.
Simone weaves a tale that brings together science, New Age-style Buddhism, and a little dash of save-the-universe-with-love that is a clever and engaging story. One of the fascinating parts of the book, for me, was how she weaved in science with New Age Buddhist beliefs. I say New Age because it doesn’t quite read like historical Buddhism, and I am unsure how many of the tenets found in the book would be recognized in more traditional Buddhism. That being said, Simone did a credible job of making a convincing argument for aliens based on this blending of science and religion, even though it is a work of fiction.
However, Simone had a little harder time with the third person narrative. There are times when the writing comes across a little bit like an alien observing and reporting on events. That isn’t the problem, though. The problem comes when the writing becomes warmer and less distant but then goes back to the alien observing style. The times of warmth make the others moments feel a bit stiff and unfinished. To give an example of how this reads: “Suddenly, her head snaps back and she focuses on her task at hand. She reaches over to grab a few more of the books that still inhabit a lower bookshelf. She tosses them into a half-filled box in front of her in this room that is itself half-packed up…” (p. 11).
Another difficulty I had with the book was Simone’s use of idioms. For example, a 48-year-old woman speaking with text-speak “WTF” and “OMG” (the actual letters) while her 20-something daughter says, “Well, it’s been right on speaking with you.” It is disconcerting in these circumstances, because the language does not match the age of the character, and at other times it simply feels forced. A little like that awkward teacher who is trying too hard to be cool. It is incredibly challenging to write with slang in a way that sounds natural. But using alternative spellings of cool (kewl) in conversation isn't the way to do it.
In addition to the above issues, the book could use a quick once more with an editor. There are not a ton of mistakes, mostly along the lines of missing words, misplaced quotations, commas, and awkwardly worded sentences. But there are enough of these kinds of errors that an additional edit would be beneficial.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It is an enjoyable and quick read. It has little bad language and only the mildest of sex scenes. Even though the book has moments of action, any gore is found “off-camera.” People who like books about government conspiracy on alien life, those who enjoy other/sci-fi writing, and those who are merely curious about how science, aliens, and Buddhism all come together will all appreciate this book.
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Reconciliation ~Heaven and Earth~
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