Thursday, May 31, 2012

The Age of Miracles-Karen Thompson Walker

The Age of Miracles


Karen Thompson Walker

Random House, Jun 26 2012, $26.00

ISBN: 9780812992977



Only the night owls realized that something had changed; most people were ignorant. On the sixth of October, a scientist states that the earth is “slowing”. Many panicked seeking a haven, but the Slowing impacts the planet so there is no place run to.



In California, Julia, her dad and BFF Hanna ignore the rants of her mom that something hellacious has occurred. Instead the two girls go outside to look around, but everything seems normal. However, all will soon understand why hell has come to earth as the earth’s rotation continues to slow down impacting the size of a day and adversely affecting the environment. Julia has enough social issues with her parents’ constant bickering, her seemingly unrequited first love and her grandfather’s senile behavior without worrying about the new norm of the Slowing.



With a nod to The Twilight Zone’s "The Midnight Sun", The Age of Miracles is an exhilarating apocalyptic thriller. The storyline is fast-paced and Julia is a precocious narrator whose struggles change from typical social fears to adapting to a changing world in which she has either a bleak or no future. Although the cause for the Slowing is not provided, this coming of age tale is an insightful look at how people especially those within a couple of degrees of Julia react to the final countdown.



Harriet Klausner

No comments: