What readers think of Tilt, plus links to write your own review.

Tilt by Emma Pattee

A pregnant overwhelmed woman’s epic journey across a ravaged city with the weight of her past and her hopes for the future.

Narration by Ariel Blake was very well done for this rapid paced literary thriller debut. An impressive read set over the course of a day, in Portland, Oregon, where a massive earthquake has rocked the city. Annie, nine months pregnant, out shopping, must now try and survive and protect her little “bean” trying to get back home to her husband. Annie encounters the human desperation and kindness of others; reflecting on her marriage, career, the anxieties of becoming a mother, and how to pursue your dreams and deal with your disappointments.

I thought this was written beautifully and I was impressed by this dynamic debut. For a 240 page novel, it has a powerful impact. I’m eagerly awaiting her next book already.

Pattee's novel is one of those read straight through in one sitting book. Actually, this book is one of those where you have to physically restrain yourself from reading the last few pages to find out what happens! Tilt tells the store of one day in the life of Annie, who is 37 weeks pregnant and at IKEA alone buying a crib when a massive earthquake hits Oregon.

As Annie tries to walk home through the destruction to get back her partner, her interior monologue is a frantic, ripped from the headlines searing indictment of climate change, the staggering cost of American healthcare and dental care, the pregnancy industrial complex, urban real estate prices, and the futility of making art in a broken world. In a taut 240 pages Pattee accomplishes so much. What a debut! What a voice!

“Leave those dishes, I should have said. Come play with me in the forest, I should have said. The world will end tomorrow.”

The big one - an earthquake - hits Portland, Oregon. We find our main character 37 weeks pregnant and at the Ikea looking to purchase a crib. She's procrastinated as she's tried to sort her life while she's been pregnant. But, here she is, alone with no one knowing where she is when natural disaster hits.

This is an interesting and tough read. But I didn't find this to be the suspense read I'd thought it would be. It's a lot of sorting emotions out while pregnant. It's facing the impending birth and being unsure of your relationship, living situation, and your next steps in life. It's realizing you've given up your dreams and unsure how to re-find who you are. I did love that the setting adding an air of urgency and fear. Unique read, at least.