Atmosphere: A Love Story

The novel’s protagonist and primary point-of-view character, whose perspective narrates the story in close third-person prose, is Joan. She begins the novel as an astronomer and professor who teaches at Rice University in Houston and later joins the NASA shuttle program, becoming an astronaut candidate in 1981, after NASA officially opens applications to women. Joan and her family are originally from California. After she earned her PhD at CalTech, she moved to Houston to be closer to her sister, Barbara. She devotes much of her time to supporting Barbara, who is a single mother of a daughter named Frances.

In addition to being an accomplished astronomer, Joan is a classically trained pianist and amateur portrait artist. However, she’s self-deprecating and downplays her skills and talents. She often feels overlooked because she isn’t as beautiful as her sister. She’s average height and has a stocky build and light brown hair. Joan has no interest in romantic relationships and doesn’t understand the appeal of romance. She views marriage for women as subservience to their husband’s interests and values, even in loving relationships like the one between her parents. Her attitude changes after she falls in love with Vanessa.