Sometimes I come across a book that is an “almost.” It is almost a compulsive read, it is almost a intriguing plot, it is almost profound, but not quite. There is just something that prevents it from being those things and in the end the book is almost, but not quite what I hoped it would be.

Amanda and Clay have rented a luxurious home on an isolated corner of Long Island for a family vacation. Although it is close to New York, internet and cell service is spotty at best, and it’s a thirty minute drive to the closest store. Amanda thought this would really help all of them disconnect and  really focus on being together. They have just begun to settle in, the kids have found the pool and the fridge and pantry are well stocked with groceries they have bought on their way in. It looks like it is going to be a wonderful vacation. Then just around dusk there is a loud noise. The spotty service for the internet and their phones is gone. There is breaking news saying there has been an incident, but then the TV loses all signal. Just as Amanda and Clay are trying to figure out what is happening there is a knock on the door and an elderly black couple who introduce themselves as Ruth and G.H. and as the owners of the house ask to come in.

So so far so good. This is a great set up. In the description of the book on Amazon and presumably on the blurb on the back of the book jacket, it sets it up this way: 

Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple—and vice versa? What happened back in New York? Is the vacation home, isolated from civilization, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one other? 

Spoiler Alert: If you plan to read this book do not read any further.

But this really isn’t the way the book develops. Instead Amanda and Clay welcome Ruth and G.H. into the house and it quickly (within two to three paragraphs) becomes clear that this couple do actually own the house. Ruth and G.H. bring news of a massive power outage in New York City and of a hellish time driving to get to their Long Island house. As the plot moves forward it becomes clear that something massive has happened but they don’t have access to any news or facts. So they send Clay to go to the store where there is internet access to gain information. The only trouble is that Clay is completely directionally challenged. Inevitably he gets lost within five miles of the house. This seems like a major plotting flaw. Why would they send a newbie who is known to be direction challenged on the important mission? Why not send the people who have lived here for years and who know the town and the people in it to get this important information. 

Alam tries to also do some foreshadowing, reminiscent of what Emily St. John Mandel did in Station Eleven, but it is fragmented and incomplete. For example, the two kids see thousands of deer in the forest all heading in the same direction and there is a vague reference to scientists recording this migration in the future, but the reference seems unfocused and incomplete. We only know that some people must have survived, but we still do not know what happened or why we should care about it. I think it is this lack of explanation of what these six people are facing that is another lost opportunity. Mandel was able to let us know what the apocalyptic event was and how it affected people which gave gravitas and a sense of purpose to the story. However, Alam’s decision to not reveal the future somehow diminishes the urgency and your interest in knowing what happened to the main characters.   

I am certainly out of the mainstream in criticizing this book as it has certainly garnered some impressive interest.

Finalist for the 2020 National Book Award (Fiction) A Best Book of the Year From: The Washington Post * Time * NPR * Elle * Esquire * Kirkus *Library Journal * The Chicago Public Library * The New York Public Library * BookPage * The Globe and Mail * EW.com * The LA Times * USA Today * InStyle * The New Yorker * AARP * Publisher’s Lunch * LitHub * Book Marks * Electric Literature * Brooklyn Based * The Boston Globe

But I found it tantalizingly ‘almost.” It was almost a suspenseful post apocalyptic story, but in the end plotting mistakes and miscues on how to let the audience in on the the true horror of what is happening to the main characters became an insupportable weight and prevented it from achieving that goal.

Brenda’s Rating: ** (2 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: No one.

Book Study Worthy? No

Read in ebook format.