Cox, Stephen. Our Child of the Stars. E-book ed., Jo Fletcher Books, 2018.
A spaceship crash-lands in a rural community. An alien baby survives. A kindly nurse and her family take it in and raise it in secret. Not quite as sentimental as it seems, but almost so. A Child of Two Worlds, a sequel delayed by the pandemic, was published in 2021. 3.5 stars. ( )

Due to my ill-timed slump, it took me longer than usual to complete this. Nevertheless I did find myself intrigued by the overall premise of the story. Once diving into the read, the reader is thrown into the Woodstock era where we meet married couple Gene and Carol, a troubling duo whose lives soon spin of control when dealt with death, grief, deception, infidelity, and substance abuse. Fast forward, we meet 'Corey', a special 'boy' that comes along and everything changes.

I won't go too much into it since it'll spoil the story but this is ideal for readers who are looking to steer off their usual route and indulge themselves with a family oriented, science fiction mixed type of story.

To close this out, "Our Child of the Stars" was a debut that didn't particularly stand out and didn't fall in my favor, but the concept was unique and refreshing, and I would recommend this novel if you're looking to step out of your comfort zone. Yet be warned, it can be a hit or miss, that's for sure.

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To read more of my reviews, check out my blog at keikii Eats Books!

Quote:

Molly,
I thought we agreed, no secrets. When I screwed up, I told you. I don’t know what the deal is, but it’s eating you up. You’ve got to decide, because I can’t live with someone who doesn’t trust me.
That hieroglyph meant, Love you, Gene.

Review:
Our Child of the Stars is very beautifully written. I just love the tone and direction the narration takes with every part of the story. I found myself adoring something I don't typically pay attention to: the actual words on the page.

The tale is ultimately a mother looking out for her child. The book starts with a couple, Molly and Gene Myers. Molly is a nurse, Gene a librarian. They love each other, and they try to have a kid. But Molly miscarries late in the pregnancy. This completely devastates Molly and she falls into herself, and alcohol, which nearly destroys their marriage. But in the end they prevail and come together again. That's the start of the book.

And then a meteor crashes just outside their town, and it changes their lives forever. As a nurse, Molly has to go into work to help the injured. It is an emergency, all hands on deck situation. And she ends up spending long hours there. And what she finds at the hospital both challenges her worldview and gives her a future. She learns that it wasn't just a meteor, there was a ship, too. With two occupants: a mother and a son. Both are badly wounded, and the mother soon dies, but not before getting a promise (through a translator box) for the doctors to help her child.

And they do, and Molly is one of the few trusted with the secret. Which includes keeping the young boy a secret from the US government. Molly falls in love with this injured child. And soon she decides that he is going to be hers, and she is going to be his second mom. And Molly convinces her husband to go along with it.

The young boy, which she names Cory because they cannot pronounce his real name, doesn't look anything like a human. He doesn't know English, though he quickly learns. He isn't accustomed to earth and is at high risk of infection and being unable to even eat our food. The Meyers will have to keep him hidden, always, from everyone. But they love him and want to protect him. And it's adorable.

Yet this isn't all fun and games. The government finds out he exists. They want him. And they aren't particularly good or even pleasant people in charge. The family has to run, they have to lie, they have to pretend. They have to keep their secret, or else. And young Cory is terrified of the soldiers - the aliens don't really have violence. It is a constant battle between living and being safe.

And Cory is so inquisitive, too. At a guess he is around 8 years old, if he were a human boy. And Cory wants to know everything. He wants to experience everything. And he's incredibly lonely. He isn't used to it, and he doesn't want to be alone. He wants others of his own age around him. And that hurts. Both him and me.

I really loved reading Our Child of the Stars. It was cute and wholesome when it focuses on the family. It made me feel like I was part of a family. It put me on the edge of my seat and made me worry when shit hit the fan. This isn't the Earth as we know it. It is an alternative earth, taking place during the Vietnam War, when tensions are already high. And there are changes made to the timeline, and further changes made for when the alien ship crash landed.

And this is actually one of the few stories I have ever read that deals with such real, hard topics such as miscarriage and adoption in science fiction/fantasy. Which is something I really respect. Our Child of the Stars hits a lot of the things I'm annoyed don't exist more in series I read, including children. And sometimes the road to that goal is paved with tragedy, and sometimes your wish is granted where you least expect it to.

ARC received from Jo Fletcher Books on Netgalley. This did not affect my review. ( )