Mimoza Hafizi, professor of Astrophysics at the University of Tirana, Albania, combines erudition, education and imagination in ROSE POINT, an exploration of the stars, the planets and the people whose lives are fixated upon them.

The question that is evoked on nearly every page of this remarkable story is “What is the probability that life exists elsewhere in the Universe?” Sara and her coworkers in the complex field of astrophysics contemplate this age-old query constantly. As readers follow the team, they will learn many mysterious facts deftly enfolded throughout the narrative. One example concerns the golden disk, an audio recording placed in the Voyager space probes. This is done in case the probe is discovered and the record listened to by extraterrestrials, who would hear, among other phenomena, the word for “hello” spoken in 55 different Earth languages.

"ROSE POINT should be read for its fascinating tapestry of facts cozily interwoven with an emotive look at the people whose job entails gathering, codifying and embracing those facts..."

Laden with many such alluring tidbits, the novel revolves around the discovery of a new, possibly inhabited “exoplanet” --- an earth-like orb outside our solar system --- fancifully dubbed “Rose Point.” The team discusses Rose Point intensively among themselves, exchanging ideas with fellow astrophiles. Their work occasions a wide range of travel to remote sites where lack of city lights allows a panoramic view of the stars. Sara regards this travel as a definite perk of her profession, along with the company of brilliant colleagues with whom she can jest comfortably about matters barely understood by those outside their realm. It seems plain that the overarching hope of Sara and all such dedicated stargazers is to meet extraterrestrials and share mutually beneficial knowledge.

Mimoza’s focus on the multifaceted specifics of astrophysics are neatly bound together here with personal portraits of those who continually observe, discover and reveal more facts about the universe. We see Sara and her team members at home or in lecture halls answering --- and posing --- thought-provoking questions related to this vast realm of ancient speculation and modern, discoverable reality. Mimoza reminds readers of the prehistoric “voyagers” who explored our planet, guided by the stars, and includes mythology from numerous sources to support the case that humans have always longed to understand more about the heavenly vistas.

ROSE POINT should be read for its fascinating tapestry of facts cozily interwoven with an emotive look at the people whose job entails gathering, codifying and embracing those facts, all the while longing to share them with any other beings who may await in the night sky.