The Radiant Dark

A People Best Book of the Month • An Apple Best Book of the Month • An Amazon Editors’ Pick

“Like the stars it centers around, The Radiant Dark is incandescent. A captivating family saga with a delicately speculative edge, this one’s a masterpiece.” —Sarah Jessica Parker, SJP Lit

“Beautifully written and full of wonder and humanity.” —People

“Alexandra Oliva is a master storyteller, her work is atmospheric, imaginative, and riveting. The Radiant Dark is a sprawling epic of the fate of one family, foretold in the stars through time and space. The Girard family is unforgettable in their ties to one another and the universe they live in. It’s all here. Mystery. Wonder. Surprise—and the power of love. An immersive read that will lead you home.” —Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The View from Lake Como

“The Radiant Dark is unforgettable. Daring and expansive, soul-stirring, and precise, this is a novel about love and belonging—to our ancestors and descendants, our families and ourselves, and to one another. I ached and I cried, my heart was filled with a gentle hope for the people who come after us. Oliva writes with triumphant beauty: we are not alone.” —Eliana Ramage, author of To the Moon and Back

“Oliva’s latest novel is many things: a sweeping family story, an otherworldly mystery and an existential meditation.” —The New York Times

“A luminous tale of First Contact told through the intimate microcosm of a single family, spanning generations of love, loss, and wonder. The Radiant Dark reminds us that the vastness of the cosmos is most deeply felt in the quiet rooms of our own lives. I was enthralled. I still am.” —Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy

“Magical and real at the same time, this is a novel of enriching humanity.” —The Boston Globe

“Equal parts compassionate and piercing, The Radiant Dark is a profound family portrait set against the history-altering backdrop of First Contact—and the kind of book you can’t stop thinking about long after you finish.” —Veronica Roth, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“The Radiant Dark braids together an alternate past and a distant future with sparkling clarity. Alexandra Oliva is a rare talent, gifting us a sweeping yet intimate vision of what it means to learn we are not alone.” —Lily Brooks-Dalton, bestselling author of The Light Pirate

“A poignant look at the complexities of understanding each other.” —Apple Books Reviews

“Alexandra Oliva blends a close portrait of one American family, in all its promise and fragility, with a thrilling communication from a civilization eleven light-years away. A sensitive and gripping examination of emotional inheritance, personal responsibility, love, and ambition, and a nuanced—and ultimately hopeful—perspective on the future of our pale blue dot.” —Meg Howrey, author of The Wanderers and They’re Going to Love You

“All the wonder of a first contact novel, beautifully interwoven with the saga of an unraveling family. I couldn’t put it down. The Radiant Dark is a masterful novel that sees as far as distant star systems and as close as the dining room table, brimming with characters that live with you long after you’ve finished the book. A cosmically intimate homage to the home we all have to make between the earth and the sky.” —Ethan Chatagnier, author of Singer Distance

“Fascinating . . . It is told beautifully, in emotionally complex and heartfelt storytelling. A dollop of SF enlivens this thought-provoking family saga.” —Kirkus (starred review)

“An inventive, moving family drama set against the backdrop of a wondrous but plausible development, Oliva’s third outing will delight readers who appreciate psychologically nuanced, character-driven, speculative fiction.” —Booklist

“[B]lends a quiet family drama with a spellbinding saga of extraterrestrial contact . . . . This will fascinate readers.” —Publishers Weekly