In Proper Time

by Gina Karasek

Astronaut Henry Wilson has embarked on the mission of a lifetime, expecting to come home in two years amidst accolades and fame to begin a family with his beautiful young wife, Barbara, who anxiously awaits his return. But when communications to Earth are unexpectedly broken during his experimental flight, Henry is left alone in a battle for survival, while Barbara moves forward with struggles of her own. And no one is prepared at the end of Henry’s mission for the changes that occurred while he was gone.

353 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 11, 2022

About the author

Gina works full-time in IT and writes whenever she can find time. She spent several years living in the wilderness in her past life as a wildlife biologist. She loves geo-caching and Tang Soo Do karate. When she fought her battle with breast cancer in 2015, she began to write to share her thoughts with others (https://ginakarasek.wordpress.com).
You can also find her at: https://medium.com/@ginakarasek
and
https://www.fiverr.com/ginakarasek
She loves to quilt and knit, but unfortunately rarely finds time for these activities anymore because of her wonderfully busy family life that includes her husband and 5 children.

Reviews

[Rik Ty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book. It’s small to mid-sized, and wrestles with the human repercussions of a science fiction notion, accomplishing in its modest number of pages what most science fiction books only attempt. I won’t say too much about the plot, or the themes, because anything I say will spoil your fun reading the book. I can say that this novel starts with an astronaut taking a two-year mission, and its cast starts off very small: the astronaut, alone on his ship; and his wife, alone at home, writing letters to her absent husband just to get her feelings and frustrations somewhere other than inside her head. The author fills this portion of the book with episodes of the astronaut going a little stir crazy, manufacturing solutions to problems that may or may not be arising on his ship. Fans of the Martian and Apollo 13 will enjoy some fun brain-food during these scenes.
But then the astronaut begins his return flight. Things don’t go quite as planned, and there are repercussions for everyone involved.
These repercussions are what the book is really about. The problems are all human, and they are all completely relatable. I was interested in the problems and relationships — and I’m a guy — so, Bravo! The author shapes her novel sort of like this: 80% human relationships, 15% mystery, and 5% sci-fi. Everything hinges on the sci-fi, so it’s a good mix. The mystery was a particularly smart addition, because it keeps the plot, and the pages turning. The author’s hand is always crafting the experience of this book - scenes are short, they’re smart, and they are always involved with some part of the whole the author has gotten us interested in. This novel is LEAN, but athletic - it’s doing work. Even the prose is doing work. It’s never effusive, and it’s never clunky. It will be 100% effective over a wide range of readers.
I found the rolling emotional dilemmas to be thought provoking, and the same for the science-fiction predicaments - I won’t spoil anything here, but I would have loved to have had someone to talk to about the situations the book suggests. So my first recommendation is that the author start getting this work into the hands of book clubs - it’s an absolutely GREAT candidate. The issues brought up will be relatable to every adult in the club - not just sci-fi fans.
My second recommendation to the author is similar. Pick an actor (for any of the roles) that you’d like to see play one of your characters, and get the book to them. If their team ever sees it, they will champion it. (An additional thought: Reese Witherspoon comes to mind. She not only has a book club, she has a production company. If she considers indy books, I think you have a real shot!)
If you are a reader this far down in the review, and considering whether to buy this book or not, YES! Jump in!

[Marcel Eschauzier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing science fiction with a heart. The 1970s—Nasa launches space exploration with an experimental propulsion that approaches the speed of light. However, they underestimate the relativity effects. As a result, Nasa astronaut Henry Wilson lands back on earth in a future unknown to him, in a world that has changed forever and in which he has to face the dramatic family developments during his absence. The reader discovers how the destinies unfold of Henry and his beautiful young wife Barbara after their brutal separation by the space experiment. One of the positives for Henry back on earth is that he gets along well with his granddaughter! But what to do with the message from the past his NASA colleague left him? “Remember the nameplate…” It’s a fascinating and well-told time-travel story with interesting and empathically rendered characters that keeps one ever curious about what comes next. A great read!

[Noor Al-Shanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Proper Time by Gina Karasek is an excellent, well-written book whose beginning made me want to stop reading! I'm so glad I kept going. The story revolves around an Astronaut, Henry, who goes on a space mission in the 1970s in a spaceship that is using a very unique experimental type of engine. The "Muon" engine is supposed to get pretty close to light speed. Of course, with this experimental technology comes a risk of something going wrong. And it does.

The first half third of the book is an account of Henry's day to day life on the spaceship. Shortly after take-off something goes wrong with his communication with Earth and this leaves him all alone for pretty much the entire two year trip. Alone without human companionship, without hearing a human voice, and without anyone to help him solve the problems that might arise on his flight. Each begins with a letter that Henry's wife Barbara has written to him as she waits for his return. Most of them, especially at the beginning of the book, really grated on my nerves because they were just her gushing about how much she missed him, etc, etc. Her 1970s American view of womanhood also really grated on my nerves, but the author actually used it well, showing us her slow realization that she could work and have a life outside just being Henry's wife or waiting for him. Her character development was definitely well-written. It just drove me crazy reading those early letters.

Finally, just before the 40% mark things started to get interesting and the pace kept picking up from there as more elements of sci-fi and human interaction came into play. I don't know how much I can say without spoilers so I'll just try to keep it short. The story kept improving and providing more and more interesting material up until the very satisfying ending.

I would highly recommend this to lovers of sci-fi. Don't let the first few chapters deter you, the journey is worth it in the end! I'm still taking a star off because I really do think that first portion of the book could have been shorter, but that's just my opinion. You might find these same chapters interesting as they do shine a light on the time period and help us get to know the characters.

Overall, great sci-fi story.

[Arriah Kiprujistho · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the stories that revolve around space exploration, time travel, and with the complex life of humans knit in it. The author, Gina Karaoke, has done a great justice to “Proper time”. Such an emotional story. It took me time to catch up with the pace since it involved too many technicalities at first, but after the 30-35% mark I got used to it and was fully engrossed in the story. I absolutely loved the letters that Barbara wrote to her husband, Henry, over the years, how their life took them on separate pathways, how they struggled all alone on their respective paths, and yet remained connected. The twist at the end of the story made it such a wholesome read. Great work!

[Ann Birdgenaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
Interesting science fiction story about the start-up of an experimental NASA space program in the 1970s. Astronaut Henry Wilson wanted to be the first man to fly at a speed faster than any man ever traveled before and the first man to travel so far from Earth, alone. This ‘hubris’ sets him up for an unexpected fate. The story unfolds from Henry’s point of view, alone and cut off from communications with CapCom and his wife Barbara’s increasingly nervous letters. Spoiler alert: Henry does make it back to Earth, but it’s a different time and place than he was expecting. Great storytelling and plot twists make this a captivating and most enjoyable read.

[Isaac Nasri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gina’s In Proper Time is a fiction work centered on an astronaut, Henry, who is sent to explore space. It is at the cast of leaving behind his wife Barbara, who is adjusting to life without him, and Henry’s situation worsens when he is stranded and loses connection with his home planet. He remains uncertain of life on Earth, and the aftermath of his wife.

The story is similar to a literary journal thanks to letters from Barbara that start every chapter. Gina portrays Henry’s journey in space as he undergoes episodes of loss and confusion. He is urging to go back but is too vulnerable to change time. A read that brings readers a connection to the character.

[A. Claire Everward · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well written story that keeps you on the edge, wanting to read more and more and see how it ends. The range of emotions here is quite wide. From excitement over space experiments and traveling, to romance, heartbreak and well, I won’t tell you what else. You should read it yourself. Highly recommended.

[Cena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

I really enjoyed this book and read it in less than a day. The story was very intriguing and the characters were well developed and I feel like I know them. I loved the letters as Barbara’s narrative throughout the book.

[Nanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book. It has a unique story line so different than what I had initially thought it would be.