Atmosphere Reading Journal
@adrianat · 25 September 2026
Atmosphere ended up being so much more emotional than I expected. I loved the NASA setting, but what stayed with me most was Joan's journey of understanding herself and falling in love with Vanessa. It made me cry, it made me angry and it made me think about how unfair it is that so many queer people had to hide the most important parts of their lives just to survive.
25 September 2026Joan and Vanessa
Their relationship was my favorite part of the book. Vanessa understood something about Joan before Joan was able to understand herself. I loved how joyful and intimate their love felt, but the secrecy surrounding it made me so angry. They deserved to love each other without constantly calculating what it might cost them.
25 September 2026I would give you anything if it wasn't going to cost us everything.
LGBTQ+ representation
What affected me most was the unfairness of it. Joan and Vanessa were intelligent, brave women helping make history, but being openly togeather could destroy everything they had worked for. Their love was never the problem. The society around them was.
25 September 2026They say love isn't always enough, but Joan knew in that moment that it could have been. It could have been for them. She should have told Vanessa that.
Space, meaning and faith
I loved the way Joan thought about space, God and the universe. At first, space feels like the biggest and most meaningful thing in her life. By the end, she understands that the people she loves are just as enormous and important.
25 September 2026Joan studied the thin blue hazy circle that surrounded the Earth. The atmosphere was so delicate, nealy inconsequential, but it was the very thing keeping everyone she loved alive. Intelligent life was her meaning. People were her meaning. Frances and Vanessa.
To look up at the night sky is to be part of a long line of people throughout human history who looked at the same set of stars. It is to witness time unfolding.
The ending
The ending absolutley destroyed me. The silence during reentry made me belive the worst had happened, and Joan could do nothing except listen and wait. I cried because the possibility of losing Vanessa felt real, but also because Joan finally understood exactly how much Vanessa meant to her. I desperatley wish we had gotten a longer ending showing their reunion and the future they could build togeather with Frances.
25 September 2026Final Toughts
Atmosphere reminded me that a meanigful life is not only about achieving the biggest possible dream. Joan's dream was space, but love, family and being fully herself became just as enormous. I finished the book emotionally destroyed, but incredibily happy that I read it. This is one of those books I will keep thinking about.
25 September 2026