The slowing...
What happens to the world when the days simply start to get longer and the earth no longer turns every 24 hours? What changes do we see in the lives and behavior of the human and animal kingdoms? And how will the flora and fauna be affected by the changing levels of light? In this "end of the world as we know it" novel, reactions are varied because the reason for the change and the questions about what is to come cannot be answered by anyone in the scientific community. Despite the point of view from the eyes and level of understanding of a middle school girl, the story is interesting and engaging. Julie and her parents live in California on a quiet cul-de-sac in a nondescript suburb when news of the lengthening of days is announced on television one ordinary Saturday morning in October. After an initial panic and widespread disaster preparedness, families, communities and nations settle into a kind of watchful complacency. The US government orders the population to "clock time" but the rebels want to live using dark and light as their guide. Eventually those free timers become outcasts as the days inexorably lengthen and that's when the changes occur that affect daily life and all living things on the planet. I really enjoyed the details about how the slowing affected principles of gravity, magnetic fields, weather and temperature, and health and welfare of the planet's inhabitants. The book was riddled, however, with melodramatic foreshadowing and portents of doom! Julia comes of age as more an observer rather than an active participant in the story. Her age progression from 11 to 23 at the end is sudden! I would guess this is suitable for older teens and might make a great young adult book club book. It does make one think about how to contact far flung family and friends should modern methods of communication not be available! I'd recommend this to anyone who likes end of the world scenarios because this one is a little different using a novel concept of the cause of demise. How do Julie and her family fare? What happens to our planet, Earth? Read it and find out!
Ms C.
** I will share my rating later! I read this as an ARC in July and can't wait to discuss in book club. |
2 comments:
I love end of the world stories and stories that use science correctly, I can’t wait to read it. However even by reading the summary, I find the argument the U.S. and the rebel’s fighting about time is ridiculous.
Honestly, the world has stopped moving and you’re arguing over time? If it were me I would more worried about survival. I know that the rotation of the planet is important and can affect many things.
I'm very excited to read this book. I usually lean towards romance or paranormal books, which I am trying to branch out from, but these book looks really interesting. I think its a very unique idea to have to world stop rotating and seeing how the characters react and deal with the situation.
From the summary, I have to wonder, America is getting longer days, and possibly living in endless days, how would the other side of the world be? Would they be in endless night? How would they be able to produce food without sunlight? Im excited to see if any of this is explained in the novel.
Post a Comment