Back in January (2025) I reviewed Emily Jane’s second novel, Here Beside the Rising Tide and was pretty excited by the whole thing. It was exactly the right mix of weird, goofy, funny, and literary with as much “real talk” and critique of modern life and capital ‘L’ literature as laughter and silliness. It had some of the most dynamic and realistic child characters I have ever read, and some truly incredible diction (Tentaggedon! and “What the Faulkner?!” are two of my favs).

Also, it was chock-full of references to Grateful Dead songs which I loved.

Needless to say, my expectations were high going into On Earth As It Is On Television.

And those expectations were mostly met. OEaiioT is a pretty incredible debut, unfortunately, slightly tainted by the fact that I’d read Jane’s sophomore effort first. Much of what I loved about HBtRT is present in OEaiioT only in an almost prototypical form. Having already read her second book, reading the first book really highlights how she was able to course-correct and improve her craft.

One example which stood out to me was Blaine and Anne’s (two primary characters) children: Jas and Avril. These children are insane! They fight, and tease, and obsess over small things. They play and argue and push their parents to their limits constantly. They’re like a constant cloud of energy which just amps up every situation our protagonists find themselves in. We’ve all met kids like this. We all know what it’s like and I’d say this aspect of their characterization is executed just about perfectly.

Unfortunately, they don’t really feel like characters in the story. They each have quirks and behaviors unique to them, and all the things that generally make up a good character, but they just don’t feel like they’re participating in the plot. In most scenes (especially when they’re sitting literally in the back seat of a minivan) they just feel like they’re there for the ride. Rather than part of the team which saves the day, they’re another obstacle in our hero’s way. Just one more variable to be handled.

I don’t think I would have noticed this much if I had read this novel before Here Beside the Rising Tide, however, now that I have, it is hard to look past. The children in that book are part of the story. They mess up and do silly kid things which make the adult’s life harder, but they also sometimes solve the puzzle or save the day in their own small ways which the adults simply cannot begin understand or do themselves. They may be naive, or inexperienced, but this is actually their superpower and the thing which allows them to thrive as tiny heroes.

I feel like this dynamic is hinted at in On Earth As It Is On Television, but not yet fully realized.

But despite everything I’ve written up above, I still really enjoyed this book and there are still many great reasons to read it (just maybe read it before Here Beside the Rising Tide).

A few books I’ve read previously heavily incorporate cats into the narrative (Starter Villain by John Scalzi and Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comic come to mind). Add On Earth As It Is On Television to this list. I’m not much of a ‘cat person’ (indeed I’m quite allergic), but I’ve always appreciated them from afar (which I’m sure they prefer) and felt I could understand why people love them so much even if I’d never have one at home, I could appreciate why others would want them around.

They have a sort of mystique about them and I felt this book did a great job really kind of celebrating that and having fun with it.

Of course — and it’s not a spoiler to say this, the book blurb mentions spaceships in the first line — there are aliens as well, and it is with this element that we can see the author’s signature wit and humor really come to the fore. From the what they call themselves (which I won’t spoil), to how they look (which I also won’t spoil), to how folks react to their arrival, it all seems to have a healthy dollop of whimsy added.

For any looking for serious investigations into what potential alien life and first contact might be like, this is not that book. It isn’t trying to be, and while the book often relies on a lot of classic sci-fi tropes that feel a bit ridiculous, that ridiculousness is exactly what the book is going for. It’s part of the joke.

But for all the laughs, there is strong thread (like HBtRT) of real issues being examined throughout the text. When the ships arrive (again not a spoiler), everyone on earth has a bit of their own personal existential crisis. And thematically, each of the main characters needs to sort of reinvent themselves. For one main character, Oliver, he essentially must figure out the person he wants be in every scene as an accident towards the beginning of the book leaves him with very little memory of who he was before.

I was fascinated by this character’s journey, as well as the other main protagonists. And there is tons here I haven’t even mentioned, whether because I want to avoid spoilers, or because my fingers are starting to get tired (been playing a lot of guitar this week), but the author does a fantastic job of weaving it all together into a cohesive story which I feel had exactly the right ending.

So Give ‘On Earth As It Is On Television‘ a Read?

Absolutely! Though I may prefer Here Beside the Rising Tide a little more, On Earth As It Is On Television is a great story and a great debut. If you like cats, and aliens, and ABBA (how have I not mentioned ABBA yet?!), then you’ll love this!

Well That’s all I have for you this week! Has anyone already read this one? What was your favorite part? Am I being too harsh when it comes to Avril and Jas? What would you do if flying saucers really did appear over the capital?

Please leave your thoughts and feelings in the comments section! Looking forward to talking about this one!

See you next time!