Gripping.  Reflective.  Tense.   

When we lived in Japan, we experienced a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.  I sat straight up in bed, and my heartrate shot through the roof as our entire apartment building swayed from side to side.  Thankfully, Japan is made to withstand this kind of emergency, and other than a few broken knickknacks, we were safe and secure.  Still, it was an experience that left me shook (literally and figuratively).   

But, as our FMC, Annie, found out on her first day of maternity leave, Portland, Oregon was not prepared for “a big one”.  What started out as a quick trip to IKEA for a crib found her digging out of a collapsed building and fighting her way through the devastated city in search of her husband.

Rife with tension, Pattee well envisions the plight of a town in ruins with no aide available.  The chaos.  The overwhelming emotions. The numbing sense of reality.  It all felt so very real.  

But it was Annie’s ruminations on life that kept me fully connected to the story.  As she contemplated all aspects of her life, I, too, found myself reflective.  Achievements.  Mistakes.  Fears.  Desires.  The sharpness of heartbreak and the immensity of love.  I especially appreciated the look at marriage and how day-to-day struggles can get in the way of connection.  

If I’m fully transparent though, I have a love/hate relationship with the way the storyline ended.  It was poetic, a total juxtaposition to everything else, and full of symbolism.  Yet I wanted more... even knowing more would not have delivered.  

Still, this was a propulsive debut that was both thought provoking and beautifully haunting.   

🎧The narrator for Tilt, Ariel Blake, delivered a taut performance full of raw emotion and tension that had me racing through the narrative needing to see how it all transpired.   Blake well conveyed the harrowing scenes juxtaposed with the reflective nature of our protagonist.  

Many thanks to my friends at @marysueruccibooks and @simon.audio for the free #gifted copies of this book.