North loves Seb; Jati loves North. The way the publisher describes this new release from Ann Somerville, we’re prepared for a good old-fashioned (or is that new-fashioned) ménage story. Put them on a sentient space ship on a mission gone deadly wrong, and you have a ready-made conflict.

 

But “Interstitial” transcends its advertising. Seb, captain of the Naurus, has a telepathic link to his ship but, disastrously, not to his crew. A one-night stand with his friend and pilot, North, has led to awkward feelings, and North’s theretofore undisclosed romantic feelings for Seb have caused him to break off a friends-with-benefits relationship with the ship’s engineer, Jati. Jati, in turn, has played her feelings for North close to the vest until it was too late.

 

Somerville deploys these classic romance devices in a fresh, clever story. Part of that freshness is in the sharp characterizations and sharper dialogue. Seb, especially, as an “emotionally constipated” war hero recently surprised by a divorce that been in the offing for years, is a marvelously prickly romantic lead. Each character speaks (in narration and dialogue) in a distinct voice, and we’re emotionally invested in how these three will tease out their misunderstandings well before anything horrible happens to them.

 

But happen, horrible things do. Somerville pits her cast of characters against a truly chilling adversary, and their mad dash to vanquish it is deeply absorbing. That Somerville never drops the interpersonal story, deftly playing her characters’ literal battle against their struggles with each other, results in a superior story. That Somerville also avoids a facile, false resolution, speaks to her writing chops; her characters win through against staggering odds - emotional and physical - and come out the other side battered but wiser. Character development this head on and realistic is rare in any genre.

 

“Interstitial” is the whole package: cracking good writing, genuinely interesting characters, a finely balanced plot, and an original take on - and resolution to - a classic love triangle.

 

Somerville is donating proceeds from the sale of “Interstitial” to Doctors Without Borders/Medecins sans Frontieres, an added bonus.

 

I highly recommend it. Look for it here.