Suitabook

Of Jenny and the aliens

Ryan Gebhart

Reading: Try reading a few chapters together, then check in about the party and Derek’s choices. This can help you gauge the book’s tone before continuing.
Themes: Romantic pursuit and risk: Derek wants a lasting future with Jenny and seeks help from an alien, even as his actions may risk starting an interstellar war. The premise sets romantic desire alongside potentially serious consequences, but does not establish whether Derek’s choices are endorsed or criticised.
Contact from space: Music arrives from a distant planet, and an alien appears in Derek’s hometown; whether invasion is imminent is left as a question. The premise uses uncertainty about alien intentions to create a science-fiction backdrop; it does not establish how the encounter resolves.
Worth knowing: A wild end-of-the-world party includes beer pong; the plot also raises possible alien invasion and interstellar conflict. Their detail and intensity are unclear.