Aliens on the Moon
By Thomas King
HarperCollins Canada
This had been on my list before it came out that Thomas King was not indigenous, as he had assumed his entire life. This very public revelation has resulted in a lot of cancelled speaking dates and a rethinking of his catalog, but I’d never read him. So I did. The biggest takeaway I took from his laissez-faire writing style is “write like you don’t give a shit.” And for him, it works. About the book: A number of top scientists have it on good authority that aliens have landed on the moon. The world goes crazy, in particular the residents of a small Canadian town that can blame the invasion for all that’s been going wrong. Like the man whose new Subaru can’t keep the battery charged. Like the guy who sold him the car, who’s left his wife for the sales manager. Like the real estate agent who’s begun to resort to some less-than-above-the-board tactics to stay afloat. Like the old woman who’s mad that her son has stuck her in assisted living. In the meantime, nobody’s seen the aliens and the aliens haven’t made any demands. So there’s that.