NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
Portia Elan\u2019s ambitious upcoming book promises to be an adventure.\n<\/p>\n
PEOPLE can exclusively share the cover of the author debut novel Homebound<\/a>, due out next year from Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.<\/p>\n The science fiction novel follows Becks, a teenager in 1980s Cincinnati who is mourning the death of her uncle. Before he died, her uncle left behind a half-finished game that Becks is determined to complete for him.\n<\/p>\n The cover of ‘Homebound’ by Portia Elan.<\/p>\n Scribner<\/p>\n But Becks soon comes to see that her uncle\u2019s game has far-reaching impacts \u2014 namely, the future and the lives of four other people living within it. Soon, a scientist, an automated bot and a sea captain find their lives brought together by Becks, as she begins a space mission of her own.\n<\/p>\n Per a statement shared with PEOPLE, Elan wanted to write a novel that would serve as an “antidote to loneliness,\u201d and which would remind readers of books that they may have loved growing up.\n<\/p>\n The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHomebound<\/a> is for readers who have felt like an outsider and been angry about it, readers who have experienced the magic of found family, readers who believe in the power of story and readers who see human nature too clearly to imagine a future that is either all good or all bad,\u201d the author said in the statement.\n<\/p>\n Portia Elan.<\/p>\n Clayton J. Mitchell<\/p>\n The novel has also received early praise from author Madeline Miller, known for novels like The Song of Achilles<\/a> and Circe<\/a>, who says the novel \u201ckept me up all night.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201c[Homebound is] at once a gripping mystery that confidently spans centuries, and a hauntingly beautiful exploration of what makes us all human,\u201d the author said.\n<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n Elan is also a librarian and a former Lambda Literary Fellow. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her wife.\u00a0<\/p>\n