Girlfriend on Mars
Set in the recent past, Girlfriend on Mars represents a familiar nightmare: the rainforest is burning, billionaires have bought New Zealand, Trump is president of the U.S., and Brad and Angelina are endlessly divorcing. It's becoming difficult to distinguish reality from reality television, especially for Kevin, a 30-something guy who is happily "going nowhere"—growing and smoking illegal weed in his absurdly overpriced Vancouver basement suite—when his girlfriend announces that she will appear on a reality show called MarsNowTM. The show is aSurvivor–meets–Star Trek amalgam where Amber will compete for one of two seats on the first human-led mission to Mars.And if she wins,she will stay on Mars forever, because the technology to come home doesn’t exist yet....
Girlfriend on Marsis the story of a relationship unravelling during our era of Instagram influencers and "alternative facts"—a world where the so-called truth is dictated by Facebook ads, and "reality TV" is as scripted as any politician's speech. A satirical indictment of our pursuit of fame, wealth, growth, and entertainment during the twin crises of climate change and inequality, this novel is also an exploration of humanity's deepest longing, greatest quest, and most enduring cliché: love.
