First contact, first love tickle in ‘Of Jenny and the Aliens’

Ryan Gebhart’s “Of Jenny and the Aliens” is told in a heartbreaking voice of first love. (Everett Public Library image)

Ryan Gebhart’s “Of Jenny and the Aliens” is told in a heartbreaking voice of first love. (Everett Public Library image)

By Jennifer, Everett Public Library staff

If I heard music beamed to earth by an alien civilization, my first thought would be to whip out my phone and try to look it up on iTunes. Actually, my first thought would be ‘I really need a change of underwear.’ Also, I think if there is intelligent life in the universe and they’re driving along enjoying the cosmos, when they see Earth they’d hit the door lock mechanism and beat feet on out of there.

In Ryan Gebhart’s Of Jenny and the Aliens, the people of Earth have sent messages into outer space to see if anything would answer back. Ten years later, something does. (Seems about right. Takes a dude about ten years to text me back.) Derek is a high school senior living with his single mother. On the night the alien message, in the form of music, is heard on Earth, Derek goes to a body painting party to celebrate because hey, what else are you going to do when you hear music from another world? You go to a party, get blasted on booze and whatever weed is floating around and hope someone there is drunk or stoned enough to take you home.

At the party, there’s talk going around that the aliens might invade and everyone’s imagining alien enslavement. Except for Derek. He doesn’t give a toss because Jenny, a girl he’s had a crush on for years, is at the party. And walking around topless. I’m not talking strutting about in a bra. She’s in full skin mode and poor Derek, being a 17-year-old boy, has no idea how to not openly gawk at her. She’s talking to him, paying attention to him when he thought she didn’t even know who he was.

Short story long, they walk to her house where she puts on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Derek loses his virginity to her. Derek’s immediately in love and starts imagining their life together. After she falls asleep, he walks home deciding to stop by a local river. Derek lies down on the riverbank and looks into the sky but something else catches his attention. There’s someone on a tiny island hiding behind a tree. He sees a hand with horrifically long fingers splayed out against the tree trunk. And then he sees a baby deer and he thinks he’s still just a little drunk and makes his way home.

When he gets home it’s five in the morning and his mom is still awake. She’s glued to the TV where there’s a breaking news alert that NASA discovered a link in the alien music. It’s a video. It shows a planet that is remarkably like Earth but a little bigger. The camera pans to show strange animals as big as elephants grazing in a cornfield. They’re a cross between dinosaurs and something with feathers. The video shows a run down ranch house. The camera spots someone (something?) on the porch. It’s a small being with grey skin with mottled patches of color everywhere. It has large eyes and two slits in its face where a nose would be. It appears to struggle to speak. It says it enjoyed the music we sent out and hoped Earth liked the music he sent back. But God oh God, it has rows and rows of sharp shark-like teeth. Why so many nightmare teeth?

After seeing the alien, the world goes into chaotic survival mode. Everyone heads to the grocery store to stock up on supplies, thinking that at any moment flying saucers are going to drop from the sky and start in on the anal probing Olympics. I think my first instinct would be a healthy spike of fear but hey, at least the music they shared with us wasn’t Kanye West. I think that right there would be cause for an invasion.

Derek isn’t worried about the possible alien invasion because he just lost his virginity and is in love. He’s thinking Jenny might be in love with him too. But there’s something a little broken about her. Last summer her brother, a Navy SEAL, was killed on a mission in Raya. She and Derek become almost inseparable for two weeks. He takes her to the river after telling her about the strange noises and long fingers he’d seen by the trees. He tells her to get her camera out and start taking pictures. He swims across the river and is cracked on the head by the alien he saw a few nights ago.

When he comes to, Jenny is long gone and he’s sitting next to an alien smoking a joint. The alien has on jeans, a sports jacket and an orange turtleneck. He’s short, maybe 4 feet tall. They begin a halting conversation about sports and life back on his planet. The alien’s name is Karo. Lights and sirens are beginning to appear and Karo leaves. Jenny went to the police saying Derek had been assaulted. She captured a good picture of the alien. Derek says he’s fine, just tried to do something stupid like swim across in frigid waters to the small island.

In addition to the alien situation, all is not well in Love Land. Jenny is moody and isn’t as into the monogamous lifestyle that Derek prefers. In fact, she’s messing about with one of his best friends. Heartbroken, Derek wants a way to win her back. There’s a credible rumor that America is about to send 200,000 troops into Raya and it will likely be an all out war. Jenny makes an impossible promise to him. If he can stop the war in Raya, she’ll be his girlfriend. So what does Derek decide to do? He decides to try to get the aliens to help him stop the war so Jenny will be his. I’ve done some truly stupid things to get someone to like me (remember making a crush a mix-tape of your favorite songs?) but Derek is about to go over the top.

Of Jenny and the Aliens is told in a heartbreaking voice of first love. Yeah there are aliens in it, but at its core the novel is about love and the seemingly ridiculous lengths humans go to keep it. If you don’t have PTSD about your first teenage love (I still have fond nightmares about mine), grab this book and listen to the wisdom sung by the universe. Or whatever.

Visit the Everett Public Library blog for more reviews and news of all things happening at the library.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

2025 Acura MDX (Provided by Acura).
2025 Acura MDX lives up to its reputation

Lively power and handling are the recipe for a fun-to-drive midsize premium SUV

Outback slices through the snow without fanfare. Photo provided by Subaru US Media Center.
2024 Subaru Outback Receives A New Rugged Look

Touring XT Combines Function, Practicality, and Creature Comforts

Edmonds
Almost forgotten Tacoma artist exhibiting in Edmonds

Beulah Loomis Hyde died in 1983. A first-of-its-kind retrospective is open at Cascadia Art Museum until February.

Explorer Platinum photo provided by Ford Media Center.
2025 Ford Explorer Platinum Includes BlueCruise Hands-Free Driving

Redesigned Exterior And Interior Add More Value

2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road 4x4 Double Cab (Provided by Toyota).
2024 Toyota Tacoma is a total redesign

The fourth-generation model of the mid-size pickup is better than ever

Photo provided courtesy of Nissan USA Newsroom
Iconic Z Car Adds Track-Ready NISMO grade

2024 Z NISMO Amplifies The Sports Car Experience

2025 Honda Civic Sedan Hybrid Sport Touring (Provided by Honda).
2025 Honda Civic lineup welcomes new hybrid variants

The Civic Hybrid is available in sedan and hatchback body styles.

Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid compact SUV (Provided by Hyundai).
2025 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is updated inside and out

A new infotainment system, and safety technology enhancements are included.

Photo provided by Mercedes-Benz Media USA.
Mercedes AMG C 63 S E Performance Delivers Formula 1 Speed, Power And Control

671 HP, 3.3 Seconds 0-To-60 MPH, And 155 MPH Top Speed

The dark days ahead…

It’s hard not to notice the sun is setting earlier and rising… Continue reading

From left: Tina Tang, Autrina Martindale, Kendra Montgomery and Kitaka Makarin. Photo courtesy of Pitch Black Entertainment and Events.
Take a Stand for Women’s Heart Health at the Inaugural Freedom Run 2024 5k

Walk, run, or volunteer to raise awareness for women’s wellness this October!

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.