1. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid is set in a specific historical era where the protagonist hopes to pursue a specific profession. What is the time period, and the unique ambition of its protagonist, Joan Goodwin?
a) It is set in the 1970s when the
protagonist is competing to become a superstar in music.
b) It is set in the 1920s film studio in old Hollywood, where she is trying to break barriers as a female director.
c) It is set in the 1980s when she undergoes rigorous training to join NASA’s Space Shuttle Programme, and hopes to become one of the first female scientists who travels to space.
d) It is set in the 1990s in New York City, where she pursues a career as a fashion designer, and hopes to
create iconic new collections.
3. Laila Lalami’s The Dream Hotel
describes a disturbing near-future in which personal liberties suffer at the hands of advanced technology. What radical technique does the book use to identify and detain someone for a future crime?
a) Advanced biometric scanning and facial recognition technology.
b) Algorithmic evaluation of people’s social media habits and online
activity.
c) Predictive policing based on
genealogical data and family
background.
d) Interrogation and extraction of
information from people’s dreams.
2. Aria Aber’s perceptive debut, Good Girl, is set in Berlin and
explores the experiences of its main character, Nila. Which of the following best describes Nila’s struggles?
a) Her drive to become a famous
classical musician in the face of
disapproval from her family.
b) Navigating her identity as the daughter of Afghan refugees in
a European city.
c) Overcoming a severe illness to achieve her aspirations of
becoming a professional dancer.
d) Living in a time of when individuals’ personal freedoms are curtailed.
4. Liane Moriarty’s latest novel,
Here One Moment, introduces an unsettling premise during an
ordinary flight. What happens on
the plane, and who is the person
responsible for it?
a) A woman delivers predictions of the exact time and manner in which the passengers will die, earning her the title “The Death Lady.”
b) An international spy transmits some sort of memory-erasing virus to everyone around the world.
c) All the passengers on the plane travel through time because of a scientist gone rogue due to some sort of unexplainable time warp.
d) The plane is diverted due to an
unexpected solar flare, revealing a hidden alien presence on board.
Answers
1. The correct answer is c.
Atmosphere, released in June 2025, is an epic and moving novel from Taylor Jenkins Reid—the bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo—that takes readers fully into the exuberant world of the NASA space shuttle programme in the 1980s. While Joan is happy with her academic life, her whole world shifts when she sees a recruitment ad for the first women scientists for NASA’s nascent shuttle programme. Reid masterfully chronicles Joan’s regimented training at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Reid captures the stakes, camaraderie, personal sacrifice, and pioneering spirit of this venture. She also interlaces a passionate love story.
Atmosphere has been praised for its authentic historical detail and immersive portrayal of a momentous period of scientific exploration. It also highlights the resilience of the human spirit and delivers a very well-written piece of historical fiction and romance.
2. The correct answer is b.
Aria Aber’s debut novel, Good Girl, released in January 2025, is an unflinching and penetrating investigation of identity, belonging, and the intergenerational traumas of displacement. Set in the city of Berlin, the novel revolves around Nila, a nineteen-year-old daughter of Afghan refugees. Nila’s fundamental struggle is rooted in trying to come to terms with her entangled identity. She is caught between the familiarity of her German upbringing and the cultural expectations and recollections of her Afghan heritage. She struggles with the burden of her parents’ experiences, especially her mother’s past as a feminist. Aber really captures Nila’s struggle to distance herself from her Afghan roots while facing racism and xenophobia in what appears to be a cosmopolitan city. The novel doesn’t shy away from exploring the impact of being “othered” psychologically. Good Girl is a deeply relevant story in today’s world. It probes the personal toll of belonging when the place you belong to keeps questioning your origin.
3. The correct answer is d.
Laila Lalami’s The Dream Hotel, released in March 2025, takes readers into a disquieting dystopian future. In this world, even the most clandestine thoughts and reflections are subject to governmental surveillance. Think the television series Person of Interest, but more real and with fewer redemptive characters. Upon arriving at LAX from a conference, protagonist Sara Hussein is arrested. Authorities inform her that their algorithm, powered by dream data, indicates she is an “imminent risk” to harm her husband. For his protection, she is stuck in a detention centre (read: prison) for twenty-one days for observation. This invasive technology allows authorities to access subconscious minds. It assesses everyone’s nightmares and fantasies as potential malicious intentions, even without conscious action or an overt threatening state. Lalami deploys this speculative technology to critique diminishing privacy and the unprecedented threat of state surveillance. She also exposes the sinister nature of algorithmic judgment and the systemic injustices experienced by marginalised communities.
4. The correct answer is a.
Liane Moriarty, best known for novels such as Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers—both successfully adapted into television series—is back with her latest release, Here One Moment. Released in September 2024, the novel offers a horrific yet strangely captivating premise. The story kicks off on a routine flight from Hobart to Sydney, Australia. A mysterious, middle-aged woman—who subsequently earns the label “The Death Lady”—suddenly stands up, seemingly hypnotised. She begins to relay predictions to several passengers about the specific timing and manner of their deaths. This shocking event has life-changing implications for several key passengers. Some dismiss her as insane. Others are deeply shaken and begin to confront their own mortality, reconsidering their lives through a completely different lens. Moriarty deftly cross-cuts between several characters’ perspectives and examines the nature of how one copes with this ultimate foreknowledge of death. As the prophecies start to come true, the story intensifies. It raises serious questions about free will versus fate, destiny, love, and what truly matters when faced with the certainty of your own mortality.