Spotlight on: The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei
“For me, there’s always been self-doubt inherent to growing up “in between.” There’s also a dissonance between feeling one thing and often being perceived as another. When I write, I think that introspection and uncertainty often leak into my characters, no matter the situation. And I can never help poking that tender spot where the protagonist realizes the world may not view her the way she views herself.” ― Yume Kitasei, Interview SmokeLong Quarterly
What booksellers are saying about The Deep Sky
- On a mission to colonize a distant planet, funded by a billionaire who trained them from adolescence, a lethal explosion rocks not only their spaceship but the crew’s faith in each other. This promising debut is part space thriller, part character study of a Japanese-American girl struggling with belonging and self-worth. There are some pacing issues, but I loved the world-building across timelines and would have followed this crew indefinitely!
― Megan Bell from Underground Books in Carrollton, GA | Buy from Underground Books
- A crew of 80 women on spaceship from Earth to Planet X have their skills and loyalty tested after a bomb on the ship knocks them off course. Vibes of Lord of the Flies, The Matrix, and 2001 a Space Odyssey kept me guessing throughout this sci-fi whodunit..
― Darinda Sharp from Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville, AR | Buy from Pearl’s Books
- This is a sci-fi novel for everyone! It successfully mashes up the sci-fi genre with a locked-room mystery — after a disaster on board a ship carrying a crew of women to a new planet, it becomes clear that someone on board must have been responsible. I loved that the person who fits in the least with the crew, Asuka, is the person who ends up working on solving the mystery. Although most of the story takes place on board the ship, there are some flashbacks to Asuka’s time training on Earth, which brings up issues relating to climate change and international politics. An interesting, fun, and thought-provoking read.
― Kate Storhoff from Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC | Buy from Bookmarks
About Yume Kitasei
Yume Kitasei is a writer of speculative fiction. She is half-Japanese and half-American and grew up in a space between two cultures—the same space where her stories reside. She lives in Brooklyn with two cats, Boondoggle and Filibuster. Her stories have appeared in publications including New England Review, Catapult, SmokeLong Quarterly, and Baltimore Review, and her short story was spotlighted in the 2022 Best Small Fictions anthology by Sonder Press. The Deep Sky is her first novel.
