By Rumaan Alam
This book is about the apocalypse, and the reader focuses in on one family in New York, a couple of hours outside of the city. Amanda and Clay rent a luxurious house, complete with pool and amenities for their summer vacation with their two teenage children. Everything seems perfect initially…and then the homeowners show up one night and ask to stay as well.
According to Ruth and George, the home’s actual owners, who rent it out AirBnB style, catastrophe has struck everywhere else in the world. Phone signals and internet have gone down. No one knows what the cause is, but everyone in the city is panicked and trying to leave it.
It may also be important to note that middle class Amanda and Clay are white, whereas the affluent George and Ruth are black. The author does not, in my opinion, make as much of these differences and tensions as I thought he would. There is also not much of the palpable distrust, tension, or conflict as I anticipated from reading the description.
Therefore, though the book had a very interesting idea, it was a failure to launch. The reader never truly understands how/why the world is ending. People suddenly start getting sick with their teeth falling out of their heads, but supposedly it was a military strike? There are flamingos and deer. Parents seem to forget about certain children. Nudity is embraced. Tubs are filled with water. And eventually everyone decides to ride it out together. That is as resolved as things get.
Pros & Cons & Potential Spoilers
Pros
- No overt violence against children…though a little bit of neglect
- Parts of each character are relatable
- The house sounds fabulous
Cons
- No tension build or resolution – we just suddenly find ourselves somewhere
- A tiny, warrior princess comes out of nowhere at the end and is suddenly the great hope
- People can be selfish assholes when the stress is on, and therefore are in this book