Voyagers

Charlton’s fascinating near-future debut puts a well-researched and deeply introspective spin on a familiar alien abduction scenario. After six-year-olds Alex Whitman and Ana Pincer disappear into the desert near Palm Springs and return two days later relatively unharmed, the media runs with the story that they were abducted by aliens. The experience bonds the children, as does their shared “imaginary friend,” an alien called Allen whom they never tell the press about. More than 15 years later, Alex is working in law and has convinced himself there is a rational, terrestrial explanation for his early experiences, while Ana works as an “Experiencer Advocate” on behalf of fellow abductees. Then comes the Signal, a mysterious tone that pulses on and off every 875.35 minutes, emanating from a point near Pluto and sparking global panic. The leading explanation is aliens, and when Alex sees Ana presenting as an expert on TV, he makes the impulsive decision to join her at a retreat in Joshua Tree, though they have not spoken since falling out as teens. Charlton intersperses Alex’s almost stream-of-consciousness struggle to understand what happened to him with flashbacks to his and Ana’s friendship, enigmatic vignettes about Allen, and impressive historical research on UFO sightings. This satisfying deep dive into the worlds of ufology and child stardom is sure to hook fans of first contact stories. (June)