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Library | Shelf Number | Material Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Hattiesburg Library | FICTION EISELE | Book | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
A Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection * An Indie Next Pick * An Indies Introduce Selection * One of Reader's Digest 's Best Summer Books of 2019 * One of The Millions ' Most Anticipated Books of 2019 * One of Real Simple 's Best Books of 2019
"[This] might be the most optimistic post-apocalyptic story ever written. It's Sleepless in Seattle meets Station Eleven ." -- The A.V. Club
Carson is on the East Coast when the electrical grid goes down. Desperate to find Beatrix, a woman on the West Coast who holds his heart, he sets off along a cross-country railroad line, where he encounters lost souls, clever opportunists, and those seeking salvation. Meanwhile, Beatrix and her neighbors begin to construct a cooperative community, working to turn the end of the world into the possibility of a bright beginning.
Without modern means of communication, will Beatrix and Carson be able to find their way to each other? The answer may lie with one fifteen-year-old girl, whose actions could ultimately decide the fate of the lovers.
The Lightest Object in the Universe is a moving story about adaptation and the power of community, imagining a world where our best traits, born of necessity, can begin to emerge.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
A near-future apocalypse forms the backdrop for an intense, moving romance in Eisele's smart debut. After the U.S. suffers runaway inflation, natural disasters, a flu epidemic, massive protests, and, finally, a nationwide cyberattack on the power grid, society breaks down. Somewhere on the East Coast, high school principal Carson Waller begins a cross-country trek in hopes of finding Beatrix, a woman he'd fallen in love with over email. Biking, walking, and hitchhiking, he slowly makes his way with the help of strangers who often talk about Jonathan Blue and the Center he leads, where food and amenities are provided for all who come. In alternating chapters, the story explores how Beatrix sows the seeds of a community through trade of goods and services with her West Coast neighbors. With no modern means of communication, Beatrix turns to the airwaves to share information, starting a radio show that becomes the center of a new group-and a beacon for Carson-that offers an alternative to the promises of Blue. Fans of Station Eleven will particularly enjoy this hopeful vision of a postapocalyptic world where there is danger, but also the possibility for ideas to spread, community to blossom, and people to not just survive, but thrive. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
DEBUT Eisele's first novel is apocalypse lite: there are no zombies, invasions, or wars. Instead, there's the flu, a flood, and an inevitable financial fall, a combination that makes this end-of-the-world journey seem ordinary in the best way. These catastrophes hinder access to food, transportation, and medicine, and create room for predatory spiritual leaders and gangs of unruly teenagers (called the T-Rizers) to wreak havoc on the survivors. Beatrix, on the East Coast, and Carson, on the West, are -desperate to find each other to navigate this new era together. And for every person who threatens their progress toward each other, there are others who help. The survivors they meet along the way are rediscovering homesteading and redefining community as they reconstruct a postal system, pool their collective preapocalypse skills, and learn how to trust one another. VERDICT This is Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain crossed with Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven. Filled with luminous writing and messages of love and hope, this story will motivate everyone to sharpen their ham radio skills.-Tina Panik, Avon Free P.L., CT © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.