It’s hard to believe that this multifaceted novel is a debut, given how skillfully Eliana Ramage weaves the different strands of the story. At its heart is Steph, a Queer Cherokee Nation citizen, who decides at the age of six to become an astronaut and is single-minded in her ambition, pushing away both family and girlfriends in pursuit of her goal. But To the Moon and Back is so much more than that: it’s also about Native American history, identity, and culture, about how the past – and the stories we tell ourselves about it – shapes our futures, and ultimately about family and the need for connection with others. I loved To the Moon and Back, well, to the moon and back.
To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage, (List Price: $30, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, 9781668065853, September 2025)
Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi