What a trip! I'm glad that, like most of Canada, I was holed up from a storm that allowed me to pick this book up and not put it down until I finished.

This book was a page-turner that kept me on the edge of my seat, constantly wondering what was real, what was imagined, what was a story, and what would happen next. The similar-but-not-quite-familiar Atomic Standard Time and Canusa added an ominous overtone to the novel as you couldn't trust your own recollection to determine what global events would impact Debbie's life. I'd strongly recommend this book to sci-fi fans of all sorts looking for a thriller novel. Or, Welcome to Night Vale fans would also appreciate this book for its alternate atomic universe and the overall tone of the novel.

This book was on the long list of Canada Reads in 2020, so I also read it, asking myself "How does it bring Canada into Focus?"

A big player in the novel was the ShipCo business, manufacturing nuclear weapons and manipulating society by owning pretty much most of it, and polluting the environment without any repercussions (given the proximity to Niagra, the Superfund site "Love Canal" definitely crossed my mind at least once). Issues of womens rights, immigration, discrimination against people of colour, and labour rights also could be seen as issues raised by the book. The biggest Canadian issue we are facing today that could be explored though the book? The impact on industry in shaping the future (and destroying it). ShipCo is anti-labour, anti-environment (nuclear manufacturing creates jobs!), and supports anything that boosts its profits (i.e. nuclear war), regardless of the impact on people or the world at large. Sound familiar?
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