The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer (Paperback)

A heartbreaking sci-fi mystery and emotional love story in the spirit of They Both Die at the End and Gravity, following two boys trapped aboard a spaceship on a dangerous rescue mission. From two-time National Book Award finalist Eliot Schrefer and Stonewall Honor Award winner.

Ambrose wakes aboard the Coordinated Endeavor with no memory of launching into space. Almost immediately, things begin to feel wrong. Evidence suggests other people may have been on the ship before him, the operating system speaks using his mother’s voice, and his only crewmate, the guarded and distant Kodiak, keeps himself isolated behind locked doors.

Despite the growing unease, Ambrose remains focused on the mission ahead.

He believes he is travelling across space to rescue his sister, and nothing is going to stop him from reaching her. But the deeper he investigates the strange inconsistencies surrounding the ship, the clearer it becomes that far more is being hidden from them than either boy realised.

Forced to rely on each other to survive, Ambrose and Kodiak slowly begin breaking through mistrust, resentment, and fear. As the secrets of the mission unravel, they discover that the dangers facing them are greater and more personal than they could have imagined.

Blending psychological mystery, survival, and romance, this sci-fi novel explores memory, identity, sacrifice, and human connection in the isolation of deep space.