The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)

by Becky Chambers

On a long haul, this”—she tapped the top of Rosemary’s head—“needs to be the most important thing you take care of.”

It was hard to feel weird in a place where everybody was weird. He took comfort in that.

Baffling as the thought was, Rosemary found herself a little envious—of the old woman or of Sissix, she wasn’t sure. She wished someone would give her that sort of attention on a whim. She wished she were confident enough to give it back.

They wore the layers of the universe upon their skin, drummed its beat with their mouths.

Fear. Such a throwback emotion, meant to spur primitive life-forms away from potential predators. Life’s universal constant. Every fear of rejection, of criticism, of failure, of loss—these were all caused by that same archaic survival reflex.

His silence sounded baffled.