On Earth as it is on television : a novel
(Book)

A tale of first contact follows a range of characters as they question their place in the universe and what it means to be human when spaceships arrive at Earth and then depart just as suddenly.

When the spaceships arrive-- and then depart suddenly without a word-- it creates many forms of uncertainty on our planet. When his kids blithely ponder skinning people to see if they're aliens, Blaine begins to crack. Half a continent away, Heather watches the massive ships hover overhead and is certain that her life is finally going to start. After twenty catatonic years, Olives is suddenly conscious, and struggling to make sense of his desire to follow a strange cat on a westward journey. Why didn't they impart their galactic wisdom? Or obliterate us? TV promised that something would happen! -- adapted from jacket