Pfeffer, Susan Beth - Life as We Knew It

[oyceter]

Fifteen-year-old Miranda's living her normal life until one day, a meteor hits the moon. Instead of just being a spectacular astronomical event as predicted, the meteor knocks the moon out of place, affecting the tides, the climate, and other things. Post-apocalypse YA!

Miranda doesn't really believe that things will be that bad at first, even after learning about how most of the East and West Coast are dead, and she mentally rolls her eyes when her mom buys them thermal underwear and months and months worth of cat food and canned food. But then, gas prices go to $10/gallon, the electricity begins to fail, and then they lose the radio.

What I liked the most was how realistic this felt. All the big events happen elsewhere, and we get nothing like the focus on giant walls of water or the fall of the Chrysler Building, as we do in movies like Deep Impact and Armageddon. Instead, it's things like people moving away, it's the school closing early because they can't provide lunches, it's the family friend coming in with news of West Nile. And gradually, Miranda's world closes in on her until there are no real choices left.

I'm not usually an post-apocalypse fan, just because I generally suspect I would be one of the first people to die, and also because I don't like how a lot of post-apocalyptic scenarios end up with antiquated gender roles and the rejection of altruism. And I'm not sure if I enjoyed this book, per se; it's hard to enjoy a read like this. But it hit me hard, and I found myself walking home in the cool California night air and freaking out at the cold (volcanic ash in the air OMG will never see sun again!) and at all the cars (gas is nonexistant) and things like "What if my glasses break? I won't be able to get new ones and I will die because I cannot see!"

It's not completely bleak, as there are moments of hope and happiness, but, um. It's a pretty terrifying book.

Spoilers

Also, like rachelmanija (link below), I was a little off-put by the gender roles -- I like that Miranda finally asks her brothers to do their own laundry, and it's nowhere near as iffy as it could be, but still.

And while I can see why people think the end's a cheat, I don't care! I was crying when Miranda decided to walk off, and I don't think I could have borne the book ending with her death, not after everything else. Again, like Rachel, I'm not convinced that anyone's really saved; I feel it's sort of hard to recover from lack of sunlight, but I will pretend in my head that Miranda's family makes it and dies fairly old even though the human race in general is doomed.

It's a really good book, just possibly not for everyone. I am still terrified and immensely grateful for electricity and my computer, but most of all for food, lots of food.

Links:
- rachelmanija's review (link to day-view so the spoilers are behind a cut because Rachel's write-up is ten times better than mine)
- buymeaclue's review
- janni's review

Comments

[tavella.livejournal.com]

I'm kind of with loligo on the rachelmanija link -- I can't imagine ever wanting to write about anything that speculatively depressing, much less read it :)

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

Sounds interesting. I love post-apocalyptic stuff.

[oracne.livejournal.com]

It's definitely not a comfort reread type of book...but I think it should be a classic.

[heyiya.livejournal.com]

I really must read this... I get shivers just from your review. I love post-apocalypse despite having all the same problems with it you do. It's utterly terrifying when it's good, and I always end up viscerally convinced the apocalypse is actually coming (I am relatively intellectually convinced anyway) and yet I always come back for more.

Should you want another haunting YA post-apocalypse (global warming in this case, always a classic) with interesting gender/class stuff and emphasis on hope, I recommend Exodus by Julie Bertagna -- it's set in Glasgow (where I'm from) which was exciting for me, but it's a wonderful read regardless.

[larryhammer]

Also, janni's review.

A sequel is in the works, btw.

---L.

[chomiji]

My own imagination is far too effective at this sort of thing to read a book like this one ... the decisions about things like whether to let our bunnies go free or to kill them quickly and mercifully ourselves and eat them ... . I mean, I'm the kind of person who always has several extra jars of peanut butter around "because we might be very grateful to have them in circumstances too awful to contemplate."

>shivers<

[penmage.livejournal.com]

Susan Beth Pfeffer is also writing a concurrent novel—same disaster, different place—taking place in NYC. Called the dead and the gone. I am excited and terrified to read it.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

I got an extra bit of horror out of the book because I spent a year doing disaster relief and have kept up my training and prep, somewhat... but everything I know is geared toward immediate disasters, or at worst "no help coming for a week," not the end of the world... and in Pfeffer's scenario, I would be OK for about a week, and then in exactly the same boat as everyone else. Aieeee!

Totally Off-Topic ...

[chomiji]

(Have you seen this site about land mine-sniffing rats? Apparently they are too light to set off the mines ... spotter credit to theloomofmoira)

[oyceter]

Hee! It really is very depressing, but it worked for me because of the format and how personal it was. Though I think I have had my post-apocalypse fill for a good few months now.

[oyceter]

Oooh, if you love post-apocalyptic stuff, you should definitely read this.

[oyceter]

It's really good! Just really scary! I do not think I will reread it any time in the near future.

[oyceter]

Oooo. I said above that I may have had my post-apocalypse fill for the next few months, but then you mention gender/class stuff!

[oyceter]

Thanks for the link! Also, sequel? Hrm, from below comments looks like it's a parallel story... I was confused because I figure a sequel to Miranda's story may still end in death and destruction!

[oyceter]

OMG. I was thinking the same thing about the rats and dying a little inside.

[oyceter]

Oh wow. I am partly excited and partly terrified as well, especially considering the damage NYC took in the book!

[oyceter]

Aieeeee!

I'm also paralyzed because I'm pretty sure me and most people I know would be dead, given that most people I know are on both coasts and in Taiwan, which would probably be submerged. Also, thinking about what would happen to the rats terrifies me.

Though really, I bet the rats would have a much better chance than me. I'm fairly sure Ruki would make it, though less sure about Bya and Ren.

Re: Totally Off-Topic ...

[oyceter]

I saw that! I totally wanted them as pets though it would freak my mom out! They are so cute!

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

They would hardly be a mouthful each! Might as well set them free, thence to survive much better than you would.

[oyceter]

Yes! And now I will stop thinking about this because it scares me to death. Poor ratties. I will scritch them extra today.

[larryhammer]

"Sequel" isn't quite the right word given, yes, it takes place at the same time. "Companion"? "Follow-up"?

---L.

[heyiya.livejournal.com]

It has a lot of hope, as I recall... and immigration/culture shock stuff (the main character leaves her drowning island home and ends up in a refugee camp at the bottom of a sky city built by the elites of what was once Glasgow; she spends some time in the city as well as with some revolutionary types in the ruins of the original Glasgow).

Damn, now I really want to read Exodus again, as well as the Pfeffer. And I just found out Bertagna has a sequel (http://www.amazon.com/Zenith-Julie-Bertagna/dp/0230015344/ref=pd_sim_b_1_img/002-0684224-1028808?ie=UTF8&qid=1191277938&sr=8-1)! I want more hours in the day...

[janni.livejournal.com]

The moon seriously creeped me out for weeks after reading this book.

And I kept reminding myself that the world really hadn't fallen apart yet.

It didn't help that I have a post-apocalyptic book coming out in 2009, too, and every time I work on that one I also wander around imagining what things will be like when All This is gone!

[oyceter]

Hee, yeah. *waves hand* That same universe thing.

[oyceter]

Ooo immigration/culture shock! Now I want to read it more! Must remember to look for it when I go to the library.

[tavella.livejournal.com]

Also, the physics geek in me is going "There's no way that you could bring enough energy into the system via a meteor without smashing the moon instead! No matter how dense." It'd be like trying to knock a billard ball a hundred yards with a bb.

[oyceter]

Oh cool! Is yours YA as well?

[oyceter]

I know, I was wondering the same thing!

[janni.livejournal.com]

It is! Bones of Faerie, due out in early 2009 from Random House. :-)

[oyceter]

Oh cool! I'll look for it then ^_^.