There are certain things that haunt people in the middle of the night. Anxiety and stress can cause nightmares and cripple people in fear.
For some people, conquering anxiety is not something that can be done alone. Loneliness can amplify anxiety and depression making it impossible to continue daily life. “The Loneliest Girl in the Universe” by Lauren James is set in space in the not-so-distant future and touches beautifully on some real and difficult topics.
The novel begins with a newspaper clipping in 2048 when NASA launched a spacecraft, “The Infinity,” to find a hospitable planet for the long-term survival of the human race.
Then comes 2067 and Commander Romy Silvers is a 16-year-old girl all alone on “The Infinity” spacecraft. Romy is a relatable character in an unrelatable situation.
One of the most human issues in the novel is Romy experiencing menstrual pains. It is so refreshing to read what many novels shy away from, as a topic society has deemed as taboo.
Romy was born in space and struggles with loneliness, anxiety and depression. She talks to a NASA therapist on earth everyday, but the transmissions are delayed for 2 years because of how far “The Infinity” is from Earth; this makes sense despite the human race not knowing much about space travel in 2020.
Romy started talking to her therapist, Molly, after her parents died and left her all alone on the ship which gives her comfort despite her loneliness. She uses Molly’s messages as a crutch to avoid dealing with her anxiety and depression.
Instead of both Molly and Romy talking about mental health, Romy copes by writing fanfiction about her favorite show, Loch & Ness. The fanfiction Romy writes is a nice break from the overall narrative and gives the reader a glimpse into her state of mind.
Romy’s way of coping with what happened to her parents and the fallout of her mental health was not to talk it out with a therapist, but to write it out creatively in a constructive manner.
This coping mechanism is interesting because it shows young adults therapy might not be a horrible idea and can be done in other ways than what is seen on TV. The down side of this coping mechanism can be viewed to young adults as not needing therapy if they write their feelings down.
Romy often feels worthless and experiences self-doubt as if she is not good enough to lead “The Infinity” through its mission.
In a scene where Romy believes she is not smart enough she thinks, “A voice in my head tells me that I don’t know what I’m doing, that nothing I’ve written is right. I start panicking that I’m not clever at all. I know, deep down, that if there was ever an actual emergency where I needed to use this stuff, my mind would go blank. I wouldn’t be able to do it.”
Molly’s messages make her seem less like a therapist and more like a friend. Molly may help with Romy’s loneliness and her emotional state through fanfiction written to Molly, but Romy’s anxiety is still an obstacle throughout and she experiences several panic attacks because of it.
After a message from Earth said a second ship, “The Eternity”, launched to meet up with “The Infinity” in one year to find a new Earth together, Romy was excited at the thought of seeing another person again.
After “The Eternity’s” launch, Commander J. Shoreditch, whose first name is later revealed to be Jeremy, from “The Eternity” begins to message Romy. It starts off formal, but begins to blossom into a friendship between two people who are pretty much alone in deep space.
One of the more predictable aspects of the novel happens when Romy develops a crush on Jeremy, who claims to be 22. As an adolescent who has never experienced romantic behaviors before, it is totally understandable and forgiven by the reader.
Jeremy ends up being the bad guy, not the romantic interest the reader was led to believe — which is such a breath of fresh air.
The novel shows readers men will not always be your knight in shining armor and some men will use you for their own advantage and throw you away as quickly as they meet you.
Romy’s desire for human contact leaves her naive and gullible enough to fall for Jeremy’s trap, but she figures it out before he can execute it properly.
By the end of the novel, Romy has grown as a person and has learned about how to be brave when all she wants to do is panic from anxiety. The lesson Romy learned is also an amazing lesson for readers to learn to conquer anxiety and how to be brave in the face of conflict.
Romy’s journey toward a new Earth parallels her journey toward understanding her emotions and learning how to better cope with them.
