State College native to share debut novel with community that helped inspire it
While the United States was at war with Iraq and having conversations about oil supplies running out, State College native and Penn State graduate Kimi Eisele began to wonder what life would be like if political and electric power were to “go out.”
It was this question that served as the driving force behind her debut novel, “The Lightest Object in the Universe.” And after being away from State College for 10 years, Eisele is excited to return for a reading at 1 p.m. Sunday at Barnes and Noble, 365 Benner Pike, and share her work with a community that helped inspire it.
Growing up in State College, Eisele said “everybody knew everybody,” and during a time when post-apocalyptic stories dominated theaters and bookstores, Eisele said she wanted to tell a story of hope, strength and love — lessons she learned while growing up in Centre County.
“I lived in State College for 22 years, and I think that sense of community ... was something I grew up with in State College,” Eisele said. “It’s really wonderful to grow up in a community where people know you and there’s a sense of support and camaraderie.”
“The Lightest Object in the Universe” tells the story of a global economic collapse and “the worst of times.” With disease outbreaks, a depleting food supply and an electrical grid failure leaving communities in the dark, the novel is a tale of survival, hope and a love story between a high school teacher and an activist.
Working for a decade on the novel, Eisele reflected on growing up in a super power country and being afforded privileges in ways where it “didn’t always feel fair.” She began to imagine how United States communities would reinvent themselves by collaboration and cooperation.
She was inspired by her neighbors in Tucson, Arizona — where she currently lives. When she began working on the novel, she said sustainable living was “new,” and she witnessed communities working together to create a place to live by “thinking a little bit differently about how to power their lives.” This community reminded Eisele of her upbringing.
“I really wanted to lean toward the hopeful telling of (a post-apocalyptic) story,” Eisele said, adding that she wanted to write a story that portrayed “the best of ourselves.”
Eisele didn’t mean for “The Lightest Object in the Universe” to serve as a survival guide, but if readers interpret her narrative as such, she said she hopes they will be able to find “a sense of their own power” within its pages and work to create stronger communities in their lives.
“The Lightest Object in the Universe” was released by Algonquin Books on July 9. It has been named a July 2019 Indie Next Pick, an Indies Introduce Summer 2019 Selection and a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Summer 2019 Selection and a Readers Digest 15 Summer Books to Read in 2019.
This story was originally published July 24, 2019 at 8:30 AM.
