Amber Kivinen is moving to Mars. Or at least, she will be if she wins a
chance to join MarsNow. She and twenty-three reality TV contestants from
around the world--including attractive Israeli soldier Adam, endearing
fellow Canadian Pichu, and an assortment of science nerds and wannabe
influencers--are competing for two seats on the first human-led mission
to Mars, sponsored by billionaire Geoff Task.
Meanwhile Kevin, Amber's boyfriend of fourteen years, was content going
nowhere until Amber left him--and their hydroponic weed
business--behind. As he tends to (and smokes) the plants growing in
their absurdly overpriced Vancouver basement apartment, Kevin tunes in
to find out why the love of his life is so determined to leave the
planet with somebody else. On screen, Amber competes in globe-trotting,
Survivor-meets-Star Trek challenges and seems like she might be
falling for Adam. But is that real, or is it just a tactic to keep from
being voted off? And since the technology to come home doesn't exist
yet, would Amber really leave everything behind to be a billionaire's
Martian guinea pig? Sure, the rainforest is burning, Geoff Task has
bought New Zealand, and Kevin might be a little depressed, but isn't
there some hope left for life on Earth?
An audacious debut from a "a dazzlingly smart and strikingly original
writer" (Molly Antopol), Girlfriend on Mars is at once a satirical
indictment of our pursuit of fame and wealth amidst environmental
crisis, and an exploration of humanity's deepest longing, greatest
quest, and most enduring cliché love.
