A LibraryThing Review
The Earth’s rotation has rapidly slowed and the days are getting longer, much longer but 12 year old Julia’s life is still going at full speed.
In spite of the tragedies going on around her she still hangs onto the hope that she will be accepted at school by the other kids and that someday Seth Moreno will notice her. She worries about her parent’s health and their relationship. She also dreams of growing up to live a long life.
This is a well written coming of age story set against a backdrop of world apocalypse.
But don’t expect the usual zombies and such. This is a well researched and scientifically sound end of the world scenario. The “slowing” has affected everything from the tides and weather patterns to the food supplies to human emotions. The story also delves into human psychology and the fight for survival instinct by exploring the clash between “real-timers” and “clock-timers”.
The quick switches in the story from calm to panic, from good times to tragedy, and then back again kept me glued to the pages waiting to see what would happen next.
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reader’s copy of this book so I didn’t have to wait until its release in June of 2012. I highly recommend you order a copy for yourself today.
To say this is an amazing novel for a first novel would be to damn it with faint praise. This is the kind of book that most authors won't be lucky enough to write even during a long career.
ReplyDeleteThe writing style in this book reminds me of Anne Tyler-- if she wrote apocalyptic novels. What I mean by that statement is that the writing is highly crafted and frequently took my breath away, not to mention brought tears to my eyes. Walker's mastery of the descriptive phrase is absolutely perfect and frequently just punched me in the gut with its force.
Right from page one I could hardly put down the book and go about my everyday business. So I didn't. Instead of doing the dishes and weeding the garden I read like a maniac and ignored the demands of daily life while I immersed myself in this incredibly painful story about a world gone crazy.