I’m not typically drawn to disaster novels, but I found this one quite riveting as well as realistic, and also funny. That seems like a weird combination, but for me, that’s why it worked. 

The narrator, Annie, mid 30s and 37 weeks pregnant, is shopping for a crib at IKEA in Portland when the great Cascadia earthquake hits, leveling most of Portland’s downtown, collapsing bridges, skyscrapers, and schools, leaving no part of the city untouched. Her goal, after getting pulled out of boxes and shelving and all that lies on top of her in the crib aisle, is to find her husband at a theater downtown where he was rehearsing for an understudy part.

The book’s chapters alternate between present and past. In the present, Annie is walking across town–hungry, thirsty, hurt, exhausted, and swollen–stumbling among wreckage, dead people, wounded people, looting people, and missing people. 

Chapters in the past range from 14 years earlier to the morning of the earthquake and fill in her backstory: her marriage to Dom, an aspiring actor still waiting for a break while also working at a café; her early success as a playwright that did not translate to a career; her boring office job that provides insurance and low pay; their struggle to make ends meet while also choosing to have a baby; the loss of her mother when she wasn’t yet 30; the questions that rage through her about motherhood and whether or not she’s up for the task; the stress on their marriage with two creatives who are broke and not yet doing the work that they live for.

All of this is narrated by Annie and told to her unborn child, Bean, as she refuses to stop walking across town in search of Dom. 

Some readers find her whiny and unlikable, but honestly, I found her funny and realistic, questioning so much about life, our relationships, and the choices we make. Sometimes the author allows Annie’s emotions to spill over-the-top, but mostly, I really liked the writing, the realistic reflections, and the dark humor. 

A quick, page turner with depth. Impressive for a debut novel.