Review: Great Book
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 18, 2011
Being is an exciting new novel from TR Mousner. I'll admit, science fiction is not my reading forte, but I thoroughly enjoyed Being.The book opens with pilot EBN-Reyoz-X on a mission aboard her space ship.  The drama begins almost instantaneously as the ship malfunctions and EBN crashes on Earth, specifically, California. Injured and alone, she must survive on her own with no medicine, food or supplies until help arrives. But, help doesn't come.  EBN can not hide in obscurity because she is almost seven feet tall, can heal the injured or ill with a mere touch, and leaves a trail of wildflowers where ever she goes.  Along with EBN's plight, Being also deals with the personal and political aftermath of the mission on her family, and the effect her arrival has on Shale and Harmony, who own the trailer park where EBN stays.TR Mousner did a terrific job of writing from an alien-on-Earth's perspective.  The sense of desperation and isolation EBN feels is acute. As her health conditions worsen, the tension hits in a profound manner. As her transmissions back home continue to go unreceived, the panic is almost unbearable. EBN, along with the other inhabitants of her home planet, has a dim view of humans, whom they call Sents. The focus of their views on humans stems from the way humans treat their environment. They have no respect for a race that treats their planet and each other with such ill disregard, such as pollution and environmental disasters, war and general bad behavior.  In fact, the storyline occurs during the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and California wildfires in 2010. The fact Mousner used real examples of such disaster really helped drive the point home.Slowly, EBN, learns that not all humans are irresponsible and barbarous. One particular person who changes her mind-set is Shale.  Shale was a character that quickly touched my heart. He is a mute teenage boy who is dealing with the loss of both parents, one in a mysterious manner. In addition, he has a seems to have a nervous condition that causes him to have a facial tic and must endure constant bullying. Shale and EBN quickly connect and she has a profound mental and physical effect on him. In turn, the effect Shale has on her is quite profound itself. He shows EBN that not all humans are cruel and unfeeling.  Through Shale's actions, she slowly recognizes that there is good amongst the bad: "When blessed with good fortune, Sent behavior ranged between questionable and reprehensible. Yet crises united Sents and brought out the best in them."I enjoyed the anticipation that built in the last half of the book.  Will EBN be captured? Will she be able to return home? And most importantly, will she survive her injuries?Being, for me, sometimes read as a statement on the human condition. How can we have respect for ourselves when we have no respect for our home?Perhaps I'm overthinking here.  But it also had engaging characters and action. And wow, hold on to your seats because the cliffhanger ending is quite a doozy! Also, when you read the book, you will appreciate the genius of the gorgeous cover.