Emily Henry’s third novel ventures into uncharted territory, abandoning the contemporary romance landscape that would later define her career for a haunting blend of science fiction and emotional realism. When the Sky Fell on Splendor crashes into readers’ hearts with the same unexpected force as the mysterious object that transforms the lives of six teenagers in the fictional town of Splendor, Ohio.
A Town Shaped by Tragedy
“When the Sky Fell on Splendor” opens five years after a devastating steel mill explosion that shattered the small Ohio community, leaving families broken and futures uncertain. Seventeen-year-old Frances “Franny” Schmidt narrates this story of collective trauma, her voice carrying the weight of someone forced to grow up too quickly. Her brother Mark lies in a coma, a constant reminder of that terrible day, while her family struggles to maintain hope in the face of an impossible situation.
Henry demonstrates remarkable skill in establishing the suffocating atmosphere of a town trapped in perpetual mourning. Splendor becomes almost a character itself—a place where foreclosed houses with “busted porches and graffitied walls were a dime a dozen,” where the very name feels like “a running joke” that has outlived whoever named this “plot of dead-brown fields and rangy forest.”
The Ordinary: An Unlikely Family
The heart of “When the Sky Fell on Splendor” lies in the friendship between six teenagers who call themselves “The Ordinary”—a group brought together by shared trauma and united by their YouTube ghost-hunting show. Franny and her brother Arthur, Handsome Remy Nakamura (son of the local sheriff), his cousin Levi (an eternal optimist with questionable fashion choices), Sofia Perez (the academically gifted newcomer), and Nick Colasanti Jr. (whose father died in the mill explosion) form an unlikely family bound by unspoken grief.
Henry excels at crafting distinct voices for each character:
- Franny: Anxious and introspective, carrying scars both literal and metaphorical
- Arthur: Driven by an almost manic need for purpose and adventure
- Remy: The steady presence who believes he can protect everyone
- Sofia: Pragmatic and ambitious, yet deeply caring
- Levi: Optimistic filmmaker whose enthusiasm masks deeper pain
- Nick: Sarcastic metalhead with a complex relationship with truth
Their banter crackles with authentic teenage energy, particularly Nick’s tendency toward creative exaggeration and the group’s affectionate mockery of each other’s quirks.
When Science Fiction Meets Emotional Truth
The plot takes a sharp turn when the group witnesses something extraordinary during a routine ghost-hunting expedition: a bright light crashes from the sky during a meteor shower. What follows challenges both the characters and readers to expand their understanding of what’s possible.
Henry handles the science fiction elements with surprising sophistication, weaving in concepts about black holes, space-time, and quantum physics through Mark’s earlier conversations with Franny. These aren’t just exposition dumps but meaningful explorations of how the universe might work—and more importantly, how it offers comfort in the face of loss.
The author’s treatment of the alien encounter avoids typical invasion narratives, instead focusing on connection and transformation. When the alien entity bonds with Franny, it doesn’t bring destruction but rather a different kind of existence—one that mirrors her own experience of living between states, neither fully present nor entirely absent.
The Physics of Grief
Perhaps the novel’s greatest strength lies in its use of astrophysics as a metaphor for grief and healing. Mark’s earlier explanation of black holes—how nothing is ever truly lost, just hidden from sight—becomes a profound meditation on love, loss, and the persistence of memory. Henry writes:
“Sometimes a black hole rips through your life. Something—maybe even the thing you love the most—implodes, collapses right in front of you. And the gravitational force of the thing it forms is so strong it pulls on everything else, warps the very fabric of your little place in space-time.”
This metaphor runs throughout the novel, suggesting that trauma doesn’t erase what we’ve lost but transforms it into something else—something that continues to influence our lives in ways we can’t always see or understand.
Narrative Strengths and Minor Turbulence
Henry’s prose shines brightest in quiet moments of character development and in her vivid descriptions of small-town life. Her dialogue feels authentically teenage without falling into caricature, and she has a particular gift for capturing the way young people use humor to deflect from deeper pain.
The pacing occasionally stumbles in the middle sections, where the mystery elements sometimes overshadow character development. Some readers may find the scientific explanations for the alien encounters somewhat hand-wavy, though this seems intentional—Henry is more interested in emotional truth than scientific accuracy.
The novel’s exploration of how different people process trauma remains compelling throughout. Each character’s response to both the mill explosion and their supernatural encounter feels psychologically authentic, from Arthur’s desperate need for control to Sofia’s attempt to rationalize the inexplicable.
A Mature Departure from Expected Paths
For readers familiar with Henry’s later romantic comedies, When the Sky Fell on Splendor reveals an author willing to take significant risks. This isn’t a light-hearted romance but a serious examination of how communities heal from collective trauma. The science fiction elements serve the emotional story rather than dominating it, creating something that feels more like literary fiction with speculative elements than traditional sci-fi.
The novel’s treatment of family dynamics deserves particular praise. The Schmidt family’s struggle with Mark’s condition feels painfully real, from their father’s quiet devastation to their mother’s desperate hope. Henry avoids easy resolution, instead suggesting that healing happens gradually and sometimes incompletely.
Similar Reads and Henry’s Evolution
Readers who enjoy “When the Sky Fell on Splendor” might appreciate:
- The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry (her debut novel, also blending romance with speculative elements)
- A Million Junes by Emily Henry (her second novel, exploring magical realism and family secrets)
- The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson (multiverse sci-fi with emotional depth)
- We Are Okay by Nina LaCour (lyrical YA about grief and isolation)
- The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska (fantasy with strong friendship themes)
It’s fascinating to trace Henry’s evolution from this emotionally complex sci-fi novel to her later beach read romances like Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation. While the genres differ dramatically, her skill at writing authentic relationships and her willingness to explore difficult emotions remains constant.
Final Verdict: A Hidden Gem Worth Discovering
When the Sky Fell on Splendor stands as a testament to Emily Henry’s range as a writer and her ability to find hope in the darkest circumstances. While it may not have achieved the commercial success of her later works, it offers something arguably more valuable: a profound meditation on loss, friendship, and the possibility of transformation.
The novel suggests that like the physics concepts it explores, nothing is ever truly lost—not people, not love, not hope. Everything persists in different forms, creating ripples across time and space that connect us in ways we’re only beginning to understand.
This is essential reading for anyone interested in YA science fiction that prioritizes emotional depth over spectacle, or for Emily Henry fans curious about her earlier, more experimental work. It’s a book that trusts its readers to engage with complex ideas about grief, healing, and the mysterious forces that bind us together across the vast distances of both space and the human heart.