π΄ πΆβππππππβπ π΅ππππ. Lydia Millet. 2020.
Literary fiction. Climate fiction. Apocalyptic fiction. This story was on nearly every major Best of 2020 fiction list.
Children on a summer vacation at a lake-side mansion run away from their dysfunctional parents while a massive storm hits. They struggle through an apocalyptic world that mirrors stories from a childrenβs Bible the protagonistβs brother is hauling around.
The voice in this story is that of children who are realizing that they are in over their heads, may be in the process of losing everything, and canβt count on the adults in their lives to save them.
The vibe here is that of an unfolding apocalypse. The world around them is falling apart, the social structures that they had always taken for granted are collapsing, and the stakes for everything are getting higher every day.
I discovered this novel while in the process of writing Noah. As with Leave the World Behind, which I have reviewed in another post, the vibe of my story is very similar. Take away the children and their Bible from this story and what you are left with is essentially Noah.
AUTHORS – I write short book reviews that focus on voice and vibe. They are useful to querying authors searching for comp titles. There are more on my website.