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LGBTQ+ Books You Should Read: The Darkness Outside Us
A cute flirtation between two teenage spacefarers morphs into a gut-wrenching sci-fi mystery.
If you're looking for your next read, we've got an otherworldly recommendation!
The Darkness Outside Us is the latest novel from out teacher and writer Eliot Schrefer.
The official description reads:
"Two boys, alone in space.
After the first settler on Titan trips her distress signal, neither remaining country on Earth can afford to scramble a rescue of its own, and so two sworn enemies are installed in the same spaceship.
Ambrose wakes up on the Coordinated Endeavor, with no memory of a launch. There’s more that doesn’t add up: Evidence indicates strangers have been on board, the ship’s operating system is voiced by his mother, and his handsome, brooding shipmate has barricaded himself away. But nothing will stop Ambrose from making his mission succeed—not when he’s rescuing his own sister.
In order to survive the ship’s secrets, Ambrose and Kodiak will need to work together and learn to trust one another… especially once they discover what they are truly up against. Love might be the only way to survive."
I honestly only picked up this book because the cover was pretty and I was in the mood for a cute love story. But what began as a cute flirtation between two teenage spacefarers from rival countries in close quarters quickly warped into a gut-wrenching sci-fi mystery inside of a heartbreaking existential crisis.
I don't want to say too much and give away the shocking plot twists (that I was in no way prepared for), but The Darkness Outside Us asks some massive questions about humanity and what it means to be alive that will haunt you long after you finish the book. The unforgettable story, combined with its centering of LGBTQ+ characters and themes, has pushed it into becoming one of my favorite reads of recent memory – and one that I'll eagerly recommend to all my queer friends.
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
