Night Objects by Eli Raphael is a literary fiction novel with a mystery element. It is a slow burn in every sense of the phrase. Liz Moore blurbed the cover, and if you enjoy her style of mystery that focus more on character choices than the mystery itself, then this book could be for you. I like Liz Moore, and her endorsement was one of the reasons I picked this up. However, where Moore’s novels hook me from the beginning, Night Objects did not.
Night Objects remained firmly in the middle for me. The pacing is uneven throughout. The opening is very slow, though it contains an emotional scene that really affected me. After that, the protagonist becomes emotionally numb because of the trauma. I’m fine with numbness on the surface, but I still need something happening internally, and I felt that was lacking. The story becomes more engaging once Alena starts acting out and pretending to be okay. The pace also improves significantly during the final 25% of the novel.
The ending and the mystery itself was good. I figured out some aspects but not all of them. The mystery reminded me a lot of How to Get Away with Murder. It was easily the strongest part of the book, but too much information is withheld until the end. Some of those reveals could have been used earlier to keep readers invested.
The time period also felt strange. The novel appears to be set around 2016, but there are almost no contemporary pop culture references. Instead, many references are from the late 1990s or early 2000s: Tyler Durden, Cher (specifically 1970s Cher), The Tudors, and Selena. At the same time, the characters are casually playing music on their cell phones. The setting felt oddly disconnected from any specific era, and it threw me off throughout the book.
I struggled to connect with many of the characters, especially Alena at first. Sloan, however, was a standout, and Raphael did a great job making her feel complex and fully realized. The shop teacher was another favorite, and I wanted much more of her. My favorite scene in the novel is probably the conversation between Alena and the shop teacher when both are speaking honestly with no filter. Yip, the stepfather, is part of one of the best stepfather/stepdaughter relationships I’ve ever read. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough scenes between them. Most of the other characters irritated me, especially Nico, the primary love interest.
The title Night Objects refers to stars and galaxies visible in the night sky. I liked how astronomy was woven into the story and what the stars came to represent for Alena.
The ending ranged from good to great, but for me it was too little, too late. The secret society was one of the weaker aspects of the novel. As secret societies go, it wasn’t particularly interesting, and it never felt especially secret.
Night Objects was first published on May 26, 2026, by Grand Central Publishing.
Why did I read Night Objects by Eli Raphael?
Night Objects was not on my radar at all. Grand Central Publishing reached out after seeing my reviews of Liz Moore’s Long Bright River and The God of the Woods. As I’ve already mentioned, Raphael’s writing shares some similarities with Moore’s. I enjoy Liz Moore’s work, the secret society angle intrigued me, and Eli Raphael is a debut author, so I decided to give it a chance. Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for sending an ARC copy through Netgalley to read and review.
Plot Summary:
Alena or Lenny, her mother, and her stepfather leave Florida to live on a houseboat in Washington State. Shortly after arriving, Alena and her mother take a nighttime trip to view a cluster of stars known as night objects. While they’re on a remote island with little light pollution, her mother suffers a medical emergency and dies.
Consumed by guilt, Alena blames herself for what happened. Meanwhile, her stepfather, still grieving, does his best to raise her alone. Before her death, Alena’s mother secured her a scholarship to an elite boarding school. Once there, a student is murdered. Rumors connect the victim to a secret society on campus, and Alena quickly becomes the primary suspect.
What I Liked:
The relationship between Alena and her stepfather is one of the best stepchild/parent relationships I’ve read. Their scenes together feel raw, authentic, and emotional. I only wish there had been more of them.
The shop teacher, Murcher, was a fantastic character. Her conversation with Alena was one of the highlights of the book. I appreciated the similarities between them and what they shared emotionally. I do wish we had seen her actually teaching rather than only appearing during special assignments.
The ending was strong. I enjoyed the reveals and how the mystery came together. I just wish those reveals had been spread throughout the novel instead of being saved for the end.
I enjoyed learning about astronomy and life as a deckhand.
I liked that Alena is nicknamed Lenny and that the nickname is consistently used throughout the story.
What I Disliked:
The pacing was extremely uneven. Had some of the major revelations been spaced throughout the novel, I think I would have been much more engaged.
The pop culture references felt disconnected from the apparent time period. The entire story felt oddly out of time.
Nico and Vikram were frustrating whenever they shared scenes together.
The future narrative voice wasn’t used consistently enough. The story is told from 10–12 years in the future, but sometimes that perspective is present and sometimes it disappears entirely.
Recommendation:
Night Objects is an okay novel. There are moments when Raphael’s writing really shines, but there are also long stretches where the story struggles to find its footing. The ending is genuinely good, but I’m not sure every reader will make it that far. If you enjoy Liz Moore’s style of literary mystery, this may be worth trying. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend it to my followers.
Rating:
Night Objects by Eli Raphael
2.5 out of 5
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