Alien abduction & silliness: The Road to Roswell (book review)

The road to Roswell by Connie Willis. UFO, alien abduction, and humor. Review by Markus McDowell

If you’re interested in UFOs, alien abductions, Roswell New Mexico, and a good dose of silliness, this is the book for you.

From Amazon:

When level-headed Francie arrives in Roswell, New Mexico, for her college roommate’s UFO-themed wedding—complete with a true-believer bridegroom—she can’t help but roll her eyes at all the wide-eyed talk of aliens, which obviously don’t exist. Imagine her surprise, then, when she is abducted by one.

Odder still, her abductor is far from what the popular media have led her to expect, with a body like a tumbleweed and a mass of lightning-fast tentacles. Nor is Francie the only victim of the alien’s abduction spree. Before long, he has acquired a charming con man named Wade, a sweet little old lady with a casino addiction, a retiree with a huge RV and a love for old Westerns, and a UFO-chasing nutjob who is thoroughly convinced the alien intends to probe them and/or take over the planet.

But the more Francie gets to know the alien, the more convinced she becomes that he’s not an invader. That he’s in trouble and she has to help him. Only she doesn’t know how—or even what the trouble is.

Part alien-abduction adventure, part road trip saga, part romantic comedy, The Road to Roswell is packed full of Men in Black, Elvis impersonators, tourist traps, rattlesnakes, chemtrails, and Close Encounters of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth kind. Can Francie, stuck in a neon green bridesmaid’s dress, save the world—and still make it back for the wedding?

Connie Willis’s novels, especially The Doomsday Book, Blackout/All Clear, and Passageway, are some of my favorite novels of all time. So I was excited to read this one. I was not prepared for how different it was from the others.

First, it was quite lighthearted. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but at times it borders on silly (and repetitively so). In our current time of unrest everywhere, some silliness might be in order.

Second, the characters are rather flat and stereotyped. They are more like movie characters in light comedy. They were fun, but I didn’t get attached to them and nothing moved me about their plight. (Though I did smile occasionally.)

The novel concept is intriguing and entertaining. Francie, the protagonist, travels to New Mexico for a friend’s wedding. The friend was always getting together with strange men, and this current beau is a UFO fanatic. Which is why the wedding is in New Mexico, at the same time as a big UFO fan event. As a good friend, Francie goes (even agreeing to wear a themed neon green bridesmaid dress.

The nice twist comes when Francie is abducted by an alien, who does not resemble—in any way—any alien depicted by the UFO crowd. The alien needs her to drive it somewhere, and part of the mystery is where and why (communication is obviously difficult). Along the way, she and the alien pick up an elderly woman who loves to gamble too much, a UFO-chasing nut job, and a young conman. This combination of unlikely hostages results in some interesting interactions, but they get old and repetitive after a while.

It was satisfying to see the little memes and nods to other SF movies. Men in Black, Mars Invades (especially this one), and a bit of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The setting also lends itself to gambling casinos, tourist traps, chemtrails, conspiracy theorists, old western films, and a large RV.

Despite being abducted by aliens and the potential threat of an alien invasion, the goal of the team seems to be to get Francis back in time for the wedding. Which could be amusing but gets old.

It almost seems that Connie wrote this novel hoping that it would become a movie. It would probably be a better movie than a novel. An appealing topic, lighthearted, fun (if shallow) characters, and amusing. The portrayal of the UFO aficionados Is interesting and fun, but predictable.

I won’t give away what happens in the group’s adventure through New Mexico, but I will say this: the ending is baffling. I thought a scene or a whole chapter had been left off. No. It’s like one day she just stopped writing. How this got through the writing and editing process, I do not know. Maybe I’m missing something subtle.

I have a hard time knowing how to recommend this. If you’re looking for one of Willis’ deeply thought out and moving novels, with deep characters, this is not it. But if you’re in the mood for a light, fun, rather silly read, and don’t expect too much, it’s a fun and quick read.