Becky's Great Book Reviews Tilt by Emma Pattee

Tilt by Emma Pattee has a chilling premise: Annie, eight months pregnant, is shopping for a crib in an Ikea in Portland, Oregon when suddenly the world begins to shimmy and tilt and the store is crashing down around her. When an Ikea employee pulls her our from a pile of boxes and shelves, Annie realizes a huge earthquake has struck Portland.

With no cell phone service and her vehicle destroyed, Annie sets out on foot across the devastated city to find her husband. Encountering death, looting, and mayhem, Annie begins enduring contractions as she tries to reunite with the father of her baby.

The novel's chapters have alternating timelines, so readers learn of Annie and her husband's shaky relationship fraught with money and job concerns. Annie narrates the story as if addressing her unborn child which lends a credible urgency to her situation.

Although Annie has dark and depressing thoughts of bringing a child into the world (and in her present situation who can blame her), the book ends on a hopeful note. Written in a very readable and accessible way, Tilt by Emma Pattee was riveting, especially if one enjoys apocalyptic books. This one gets four out of five stars from me.