The Age of Miracles....a warning to us all!

This is one of the much heralded titles on the Waterstones 11 list this year.  This is a list of, yes, 11 debuts that are set to be the next big thing, this is the only title so far that has appealed to me.  I would not have even picked the novel up unless one of my colleagues thrust the proof into my hands telling me that it was my sort of book, they weren't wrong.  It seems I am getting far too predictable in my tastes, makes life easy I suppose.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker really is not what you would expect.  It is somewhat of a cautionary tale of humanity and has inklings of a coming apocalypse, something out of our control and totally unexpected.  Walker renders the a scene of American suburbia in crisis, the knock on effect of a worldwide catastrophe.  The spinning of the Earth on it's axis is slowing and scientists can neither explain nor prevent the phenomena.  Walker goes on to describe the ascending progression of this catastrophe, starting with the lengthening of daytime and nighttime by minutes and moving on to the deaths of birds and crops.  The reader has this story explained to them by the young, revealing narrator Julia.  This wonderful character describes the world around her as everything that we take for granted starts to fall apart, friendships, families and natural ways of life.  The story seems all the more harrowing told through the eyes of a teenager struggling to deal with the effect this global occurrence has on the world around her.


I would love to know more about the science of this novel, the details were very interesting and thought provoking.  The author must have put some really hard work into researching the effects of prolonged sunlight and prolonged nighttime as you never doubt the knowledge you are presented with.  It is weird to think of days and days of sunlight and how this would effect our world, and how dangerous it really would be, I would not recommend sunbathing at all!!  This is set off by the long nights and the effect of these on plant and animal life, how ecosystems are just completely destroyed.

I was moved throughout this book, Walker cleverly combines science with moving passages about the people of this story.  She reveals a human resilience, our need to carry on with routine, to follow a clock that no longer reflects night and day.  Alongside this resilience we see rebellion as well, as individuals decide to live their lives by the sun rather than by the 24 hour clock.  It is all very saddening as you can't help but feel for the people that are trying so hard to live how they want, yet become discriminated against by people that used to be their allies, their friends and neighbours.

The dramatic altering of day and night is obviously a very clear and important part of this novel, however, Julia's story is just as important.  It is this story that leads us through the novel and Julia's perception of others that make it such an engrossing read.  There is romance, heartbreak, loss and persistent challenges to face as Julia has to continue being a part of a world that is crumbling around her, literally and metaphorically.  Her family life becomes one of secrets, and we are encouraged to understand that sometimes secrets are what saves people from harm.  It is a very interesting and difficult view to digest, but one that Walker expresses with tenderness and tact.

The most moving part of the novel for me was a scene set upon a beach as Julia acts impulsively to join her crush, Seth, to look at the beached whales.  It is so sad to think of these beautiful creatures driven to confusion over the changing of tides and times, dying helplessly in the blazing sunshine and there is just nothing that can be done to help.

From moving to haunting, the message of the book is very clear on the notion that there are just some things we cannot prepare for or reverse.  Global warming and nuclear holocausts are things that can be affected by human behaviour and in some cases controlled, the looming apocalypse in this tale is completely out of human control and it is terrifying.

I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good old fashioned end of the world sci fi.  This novel is more subtle, it is more gentle, but you wont be able to put it down because it is never a heavy read.  Also good for folks that want a thought provoking read, you really don't need to be a sci fi fan, there is no fancy gadgets or futuristic spaceships in sight.  Maybe I am just saying that anyone could enjoy this, it is just a clever, brilliant read.

Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker is due out 21/06/2012