Summary:
On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow. The days and nights grow longer and longer, gravity is affected, the environment is thrown into disarray. Yet as she struggles to navigate an ever-shifting landscape, Julia is also coping with the normal disasters of everyday life—the fissures in her parents’ marriage, the loss of old friends, the hopeful anguish of first love, the bizarre behavior of her grandfather who, convinced of a government conspiracy, spends his days obsessively cataloging his possessions. As Julia adjusts to the new normal, the slowing inexorably continues. With spare, graceful prose and the emotional wisdom of a born storyteller, Karen Thompson Walker has created a singular narrator in Julia, a resilient and insightful young girl, and a moving portrait of family life set against the backdrop of an utterly altered world.
My take: 3 looks
Originally reviewed February 24, 2013
A good young adult read about a world where the Earth’s rotation is gradually and systematically slowing. It has all of the feel of “Life As We Knew It” by Susan Beth Pfeffer, without the component of sudden change. There is really no sense of panic in this novel. In that sense, it is much more unrealistic than “Life”. However, it was an easy book to read, with likable characters. I will read more by this author.
Recommended.
