What readers think of The Things That Keep Us Here, plus links to write your own review.

I was pulled into this story from the beginning and the author kept me there until the end. I was able to connect with all of the characters and the chilling circumstances they were facing. Since this particular pandemic wasn't so unbelievable, it was easy to imagine myself in their situation. Many times throughout the book, I would ask myself, "what would I do?". This is an engrossing, easy read but highly entertaining ... and the subject matter is certainly not that far-fetched.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. With the H1N1 virus dominating our news, this certainly brought an interesting perspective to a possible pandemic. The many decisions this family had to make would surely develop into a dynamic exchange for book clubs! This family will expand your heart and thoughts. I would welcome reading another book by this author.

This is the story of how one family survives, and endures, a pandemic outbreak of avian flu in this country. It is the story of the choices that the main characters, Ann, Peter and Shaiza make and the consequences that those choices have. Ms Buckley has written a remarkable first novel. Her characters could be your next door neighbors. The plot line is simple but powerful. She asks and answers the question "what would you do to survive in a emergent situation". The book will remind the reader of Katrina and New Orleans and have us hoping that nothing like this ever happens in our country. I highly recommend this book. It is a thought provoking read that will stay with you for a long time after you finish the book.

This is a phenomenal debut thriller about what happens to one family when a virulent bird flu pandemic hits the USA. And it has the potential to kill about 50 our of every one hundred that it infects. And then that potential turns to reality.

This is the story of one broken family coming to grips of the reality that is America during an unseen and unprepared for worldwide emergency.

So far this year I've read about 250 books; this is the one that I will remember for years to come. I’ve just finished it and I want to grab it up and start rereading it. It was an utterly amazing book especially for a debut. The characters are so well written that I came to think of them as friends of mine. The plot was very well thought out, fast paced, chilling, thrilling and yet tender. This book preys on our deepest emotions and fears, it also makes us ask the really hard moral and ethical questions of ourselves. It makes us wonder if we could cope just half as well as the Brooks family does. If we would come out of something like this with our sanity even half as intact as they did.

Great story line with true to life characters. Fast paced read. The events that pull this family together and the survival skills necessary to make it through keep you wanting to read on. It had me reflecting on how I would react in the same situations. Terrific first novel and I will be looking for more from Carla Buckley in the future.

Carla Buckley's first novel takes on some very timely subject matter, and it is clearly well-researched. I was impressed with the detailed and vivid portrayals of the many unexpected obstacles that arose as the days of the quarantine turned into weeks. This novel raises so many survival instinct issues (like family before all else) that I connected with at a very personal level. The novel's protagonist, Ann, was a very fully drawn, sympathetic, and fascinating character. I was completely engrossed in the plot and the interactions amongst Ann and her family members from the first chapter on.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW!

Ann and Peter Brooks have two daughters: twelve-year-old Kate and seven-year-old Maddie who live in the comfortable suburb of Columbus, Ohio. Their baby, William, had died causing unspeakable grief for Ann and Peter which has affected their relationship irreparably. One night while driving home from a family get together, Peter announces that they should separate and spend some time alone. He tells Anne that he “still loves her”, but he’s “not IN love with her anymore.” As expected, Kate and Maddie don’t take the news of their parents split very well. Peter collects some clothing and moves into a small one-bedroom apartment, leaving the house for Ann and the girls.

Peter is a Professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine but is now doing research. After a year of separation, Ann is feeling confident that she can deal with any problems or hardships. But, just before Thanksgiving, a serious and dangerous crisis hits and topples everybody’s world upside down. Out at one of the lakes close to their home, Peter and some duck hunters have discovered hundreds of blue-winged teal birds, mottled brown and cream bobbing upside down in the lake. They soon learn that the avian influenza virus H5N1 is loose in their community. Everyone is trapped inside their homes making life and death decisions in an environment where even opening your front door could mean the end of you and your family.

Ann now has to make choices that will affect the lives of Kate and Maddie and others around her. Quarantined in their own home, Ann is soon forced to make her first of many life or death decisions!

An excellent debut novel geared for everyone.

An apocalyptic novel and page turner, it is an event which could happen making the story poignant. It has technical information to keep it intellectual, and reflective insight to make it heart wrenching. It made me consider what boundaries I would break when faced with questionable survival. I would define this as a woman’s science fiction book due to its characters and emotional content.