Only the Astronauts by Ceridwen Dovey review – playful and deeply moving close encounters
Metal objects launched into space observe perplexing humanity in this wildly inventive novel from the author of Only the Animals
Telling stories from the perspectives of dead animals was, Ceridwen Dovey admits, a tiny bit nutty". Only the Astronauts - a sequel of sorts" to her book Only the Animals - is a bolder and madder venture again. This time Dovey's first-person narrators are inanimate objects which have been launched into outer space, including the International Space Station; the Voyager 1 space probe; a mannequin by the name of Starman; a sculpture on the moon (containing Neil Armstrong's spirit); and a tampon that once belonged to Sally Ride.
The tamponaut" declares that if anyone considers her ridiculous, then they clearly don't understand that most space missions are performative and symbolic above all else". She could be defending Dovey here, who is troubled by the spectre of ridiculousness" haunting books like hers.
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