Paperback: 291 pages
Publisher: Random House
Publication date: 26 June 2012
ISBN13: 9780812984750
On an ordinary Saturday
in a California suburb, Julia awakes to discover that something has
happened to the rotation of the earth. The days and nights are growing
longer and longer; gravity is affected; the birds, the tides, human
behavior, and cosmic rhythms are thrown into disarray. In a world that
seems filled with danger and loss, Julia also must face surprising
developments in herself, and in her personal world-divisions widening
between her parents, strange behavior by her friends, the pain an
vulnerability of first love, a growing sense of isolation, and a
surprising, rebellious new strength. With crystalline prose and the
indelible magic of a born storyteller, Karen Thompson Walker gives us a
breathtaking portrait of people finding ways to go on in an
ever-evolving world.
When I started this I thought I was going to get some kind of
Apocalyptic End of the World type story but I can’t really say that’s
how it turned out. It’s more a coming of age type story with a bit of
monumental planetary change in the background.
It’s a very good
story and it’s very well written, this lady can definitely tell a great
story. It’s just not what I was expecting. I thought the title was
referring to an Age as a period in time but now I’m wondering if it’s a
reference to the chronological age of the narrator.
The narrator
is 11 year old Julia and she tells her story mostly from a point in the
future as she looks back on what happened when the Earth stopped
rotating. What we never find out is ‘why’ it happened. I’m not sure if
it’s because Julia is/was 11 and just wasn’t concerned with the ‘why’s’
but it was a little frustrating to only get some of the picture.
Mostly
it’s about growing up, first love, transitioning into adulthood and
dealing with pre-teen issues…with a backdrop of potential apocalypse.
If it were just a straightforward coming of age tale I probably wouldn’t
have enjoyed it as much. It’s a great story but I was in it for the End
Of The World and seeing that side of things play out were what kept me
going.
Very well done and scarily believable. Overall I really liked it and would recommend it..