The Actual Star: A Novel

he Writer Monica Bryce novel’s The Actual Star is a very ambitious novel. In the “acknowledgment,” Bryce acknowledges an intellectual debt to the American writer Frank Herbert’s novel Dune (Bryce 598). Both novels, The Actual Star and Dune, imagine religions for their fictional societies that are based on contemporary religions. Bryce’s novel is quite different from Herbert’s novel. Monica Bryce’s novel involves three timelines. One is set in what is now Belize around the year 1012 CE in a Mayan City. The second one is set in 2012 CE when a Mayan-American young adult named Leah Oliveri is trying to find her way in the world by way of her Mayan identity. Leah’s father lived in Belize. Leah is a free thinker especially about religious matters despite the fact that she attends a conservative Roman Catholic school in a small town in rural Minnesota. Leah is very interested in the Ancient Mayan religion. One of Leah’s beliefs is that “sex seemed another good way to regain that lost state of wholeness” (Bryce 22). There is a large amount of sexual activity in the novel entitled The Actual Star. The third timeline is set in 3012 CE after Earth and the remaining humans have gone through a devastating environmental crisis. The main religion for most humans on Earth is a version of modernized Ancient Mayan religion called Lavaja based on the life and ideas of Leah Oliveri. In 3012, a follower of Lavaja named Niloux starts a religious reform movement, that caused growing tension within the Lavaja movement. Niloux compares themselves to Martin Luther at one point in the novel (Bryce 152). There is a glossary of terms used in the Lavaja religion at the end of the novel. Bryce masterfully interweaves all three timelines together. Byrne did a lot of research when writing this novel. I read the novel on the Kindle. Monica Bryne’s novel, The Actual Star is a very ambitious novel. Works Cited: Herbert, Frank. 2021. Dune. New York: Penguin Random House, LLC Weaker, Helene. “Monica Byrne in conversation with Helene Wecker: The Actual Star.” Midtown Scholar Bookstore. October 8, 2021. Interview, 59:54 minutes. Monica Byrne in conversation with Helene Wecker: The Actual Star.”

I finished and I feel a bit lost. What did I just read? Did it enjoy it? I’ve seen this described as a Messy Masterpiece and the most unique book you’ll read. And both of those seem very accurate.

I couldn’t put it down towards the last half. And the final chapter merged three very different timelines into one climax and conclusion and it was fantastic.

This book was not an easy read. It makes you think. It changes genres with each timeline. It broaches topics that might be uncomfortable. Ideas are presented in new way. And with every page you’re left thinking.

Byrne does not hand hold you through this. Questions that might seem so important are answered in passing. I feel like I’m missing so many pieces, but when I think about the questions I have, I realize they were actually answered. Just not dwelled on it seems.

Another review put it well that this book trusts the reader to be competent. And I definitely agree with that. It was challenging but fulfilling.

All in all, I think I did like it. It was an experience that is for certain. I’m glad I finished. This book may not be for anyone, but if you want something new and unique, give it a try. It may surprise you!

This is a book that stays with you and makes you question so much. It takes place in 1012, 2012, and 3012. It has great work building and character development. It has climate disaster with a nearly utopian recovery. It is sex positive and theological.