Nagamatsu previously taught at the College of Idaho, Southern Illinois University, and the Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing.
[5] He additionally joined the faculty of the low-residency MFA Program, the Rainier Writers Workshop,[6] which is based at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.
[7] The novel is told in a series of interlinked stories which take place after a pandemic massively reshapes life on earth, often focusing on grief and its intersection with technology.
[20] Amy Brady with the Scientific American stated that "this polyphonic novel reflects our human desire to find meaning within tragedy.
A Publishers Weekly reviewer noted that "Nagamatsu can clearly write, but this exploration of global trauma makes for particularly bleak reading: the novel offers no resolutions, or even much hope, just snapshots of grief and loss....
Readers willing to speculate about a global crisis not too far off from reality will find plenty to think about in this deeply sad but well-rendered vision of an apocalyptic future.
[41][42][43] In the 2024s, humanity recovers extraterrestrial technology from a crash, and later, at Area 51, a human-built starship is built and powered by a stable micro black hole.