Summary of Contact

Contact is a science fiction novel by American author Carl Sagan, published in 1985. It follows protagonist Jill Tarter, a scientist specializing in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), and her team as they attempt to decipher a mysterious signal originating from the Vega system. The novel charts Jill's emotional journey as her life and her work become inexplicably intertwined, threatening to derail her professional ambitions and her search for meaning and the truth. Along the way, the novel examines the concept of faith, the power of language, and the implications of contacting an advanced alien species.