Soon to be a Netflix series coming to you. (Spoilers) I've read way (way, way, way) too many post-apocalyptic books. This one was different. It was the beginning of the apocalypse -- which isn't completely defined. When the reality of the event becomes clear, the book is done. In the meantime, we have explored racism, culture, privilege, family dynamics and ... a lot more. It's a literary novel (finalist for the National Book Award) which is meandering, cerebral, maybe even a touch lazy in pacing. It examines very normal people in extraordinary times. There are few heroes here, but there aren't clear-cut villains, either.. Most of the reponses are ... well ... real. The result, for me, was a tinge of sadness. That when the worst comes, people don't rise above. That's the lesson we always try to tell to children, that the good people run towards the fire. This book makes it clear that such a take might be a fairytale. The truth of calamity is complex and layered, and often not something which brings out our better natures. Which left me feeling ... ? I will be very interested in how a nuanced story like this translates onto the screen.
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