Sunday Books & Culture - Fiction
Ashley Riggleson covers Eliana Ramage’s debut novel about the sacrifice needed to become the first Cherokee astronaut in “To the Moon and Back"
TO THE MOON AND BACK
By Eliana Ramage
Published by Avid Reader Press (September 2, 2025)
Paperback $26.99
Audiobook $14.99
Reviewed by Ashley Riggleson
If you are looking for a family saga that will open your eyes and tug on your heartstrings, then look no further than Eliana Ramage’s debut novel, To the Moon and Back.
Though readers hear from several characters throughout the text, this multilayered Bildungsroman centers Steph Harper, a spirited and ambitious young woman who, from an early age, aims to be the first Cherokee astronaut. It is this desire that keeps Steph going through some of the most traumatic and isolating episodes of her childhood. At first, Steph’s single-minded determination to go to space seems like a purely good thing, as it keeps her focused on the future and prevents her from dwelling too much on the past. However, as time passes, readers’ views of Steph’s goal, and how this ambition impacts her, will undoubtedly become more complicated.
Soon Steph grows into a flawed and intentionally prickly young queer woman whose dream of space travel grows to eclipse (pun intended) everything else. As she moves relentlessly forward, she is oftentimes selfish and will make whatever choice gets her closer to the future she wants, even if it means hurting everyone around her. As the novel progresses, it becomes clear that Steph will have to make a choice. She will have to decide what kind of person she wants to be. She will have to decide between kindness and her own desires.
Yet if To the Moon and Back were simply about space travel and the journey to get there, it would not have been as compelling as I ultimately found it to be. In addition to an interesting and nuanced story about the costs of ambition, Ramage has penned an extraordinary political tale that can be read, from an academic perspective, through multiple lenses. Moreover, this novel also serves as an in-depth commentary on many of the most prescient issues impacting Native communities throughout the country, such as Blood Quantum, the Indian Child Welfare Act, concerns about the environment, and the preservation of sacred spaces.
I was a little worried going into this novel that Ramage would seek to inspire readers and that To the Moon and Back would lack complexity and emotional depth. But this intricately developed text, told through a variety of voices and forms, kept me thoroughly engaged.
Not only were Ramage’s characters so real as to inspire both my love and ire, but the look at identity engaged my intellect as well.
While Ramage had me wondering about the fates of her characters, she encouraged me to think about how it might be to walk around in their worlds. Since this ability is, after all, what sets great novelists apart, it suggests that one can expect great things from Ramage’s future as a storyteller. And To the Moon and Back is an auspicious debut not to be missed.
Ashley Riggleson is a free-lance book reviewer from Rappahannock County. When she is not reading or writing book reviews, she can usually be found playing with her pets, listening to podcasts, or watching television with friends and family.
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