Litsy

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Tilt | Emma Pattee

Library hold finally came in. Starting it today. #camplitsy

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Roary47

Tilt | Emma Pattee

pick

4✨ Following a pregnant woman to a store to get the crib she should have got a long time ago it seems like any other day. However, a massive earthquake causes disaster to strike her town. The only thought on her mind is to survive and find her loved one‘s. I enjoyed this book and the consistent flow it had. While the ending was good I would have liked an epilogue of what happened after that last moment.

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ChaoticMissAdventures

Tilt | Emma Pattee

pick

I really enjoyed this! I am unsure if the story would have had the same impact on me if I did not live in our MCs neighborhood. I feel like Pattee really made the city come alive. I could have used a bit more description of the aftermath, but I thought the characters were drawn well and the storytelling was great.
4.25/5

ChaoticMissAdventures PS the GR ratings have really taken a hit the last couple of weeks and I just do not understand, I know #CampLitsy25 was super positive about this one! 1w

squirrelbrain How odd that the GR rating is going down! 🤔 1w

Skelly_fyer Oh, I didn‘t expect to get pulled in so deeply, but here I am thinking about the characters like they‘re real. Everything hits just right whether it‘s the action, tension, or emotional arcs. This is one read that stays with you long after the last line. By the way I have a bunch of ideas for your story. If you are open, I would love to discuss it with you. I'm a scene artist and illustrator from Texas. I'd be thrilled to do it for you! 1w

joshuafreelancer Readers will love this. Have you considered a marketing partner to make it pop? 1w

48 likes4 comments

MeganAnn

Tilt | Emma Pattee

pick

Moved outside to finish the second half of this book. I loved this one! It‘s fast paced and captivating. I had to know what was going to happen next both in Annie‘s past as well as her journey through earthquake destroyed Portland.

And it has been awhile since I had a day where I could just read all day with no other obligations so that felt deliciously relaxing in the best way.

Another great pick for #camplitsy25 🎉

Megabooks, squirrelbrain, BarbaraBB

squirrelbrain Sounds like a perfect day! 1w

Skelly_fyer I just finished your story and it was so good! Let me know if you'd like to hear some ideas I had. 1w

50 likes2 comments

MeganAnn

Tilt | Emma Pattee

My library hold for Tilt finally came in so I‘m spending today reading to catch up with #camplitsy25 . So far, I‘m completely engrossed in Annie‘s story.

Also still making my way through #doorstopkristin — July was a busy month with little reading time so book 2 is slow going but I am enjoying it. Hoping to finish book 2 and at least get part of the way through book 3 before the end of the month but we‘ll see.

Megabooks, squirrelbrain, BarbaraBB

MeganAnn #klbr @BarbaraJean 1w

Megabooks Such a great book! Tilt is really captivating! 1w

squirrelbrain It won‘t take long to catch up - it‘s a quick read! 1w

Suet624 Book 2 of Kristin‘s story was a bit slow going but there‘s a lot happening in it. 1w

49 likes4 comments

BarbaraBB

Tilt | Emma Pattee

#CampLitsy25 question 1

Today we‘re discussing part two of Tilt.
As usual, I‘ll only be tagging all of you in this question. Scroll down to find both other questions. Enjoy!

Megabooks, squirrelbrain

BarbaraBB @BookwormAHN @Cariashley @Caroline2 @Catlass007 @CatGusMax @CarolynM @CBee @CatMS @ChaoticMissAdventures @Chelsea.Poole @Christine (edited) 1w

BarbaraBB @Addison_Reads @Amiable @AmyG @BarbaraJean @Bkclubcare @BooksandCoffee4me @Bookbuyingaddict @BookNAround @Bookwormjillk @Butterfinger 1w

BarbaraBB @CogsOfEncouragement @Cseydel @Cuilin @Dabbe @Daisey @DebinHawaii @Deblovestoread @DGRachel @ErikasMindfulshelf @Flaneurette @fredthemoose (edited) 1w

See All 45 Comments

BarbaraBB @Gatheringbooks @Gissy @Graciouswarriorprincess @Hooked_on_books @ImperfectCJ @JamieArc @Jas16 @Jenniferw88 1w

BarbaraBB @Jenreadsalot @Jess @Jhod @JoyBlue @JulesG @julieclair @Karisa @Kitta @Kristy-K @Kspenmoll @kwmg40 @Larkken @Laughterhp @LeeRHarry @Leniverse @Lesliereadsalot @maggie4483 (edited) 1w

BarbaraBB @Mcctrish @maich @MeganAnn @Merelybookish @Meshell1313 @Monalyisha @Oryx @peaKnit @Prairiegirl_reading @PuddleJumper @quietjenn (edited) 1w

BarbaraBB @Read4Life @RaeLovesToRead @Reggie @rockpools @Roary47 @Ruthiella @Sace @Sapphire @Sarahbarnes @Soubhiville @Skygoddess1 @Suet624 @Susanita @Texreader @sblbooks 1w

BarbaraBB @TheBookHippie @Thekidupstairs @TheBookDream @Triplem80 @TrishB @Vonnie862 @Well-ReadNeck @willaful @youneverarrived @yourfavouritemixtape @zukeeyah 1w

Kitta For me it was the children. The boy trapped in ikea, the one she gives the caterpillar too, the daughter they‘re searching for in the school. I think because Annie is pregnant, her descriptions were extra heartbreaking. 1w

Jas16 The parents searching for their children at their school. Even trying to imagine myself in their situation… 1w

mcctrish The children 😭I liked that at least one reunion could be made. It struck me that one had to make split second decisions on whether to trust or not and it could go either way fast adding another horrible level of stress to survival and coping 1w

AmyG The woman from IKEA looking for her daughter at the school. As a mother, I just couldn‘t imagine. That part made me so anxious. (edited) 1w

DGRachel I guess since I don‘t have kids, they had less of an impact. For me, if was the clerk at IKEA who pulls Annie from the wreckage and who later reconnects with her. I don‘t think Annie would have made it as far as she did without the other woman by her side. 1w

Butterfinger The parents. When the woman from IKEA decided to crawl in the tunnel, and she was probably still there during the aftershock. OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS! Secondly, the girl who knocked Annie off the bicycle. 1w

ImperfectCJ Taylor definitely stands out for me, how Annie's impression of her goes from an annoyed (annoying) employee to mom driven to get to her child. Also the teens at the end are particularly puzzling/disturbing to me, and the creepy guy in the van who she doesn't get a ride with. Still not sure if he was legit or a predator. 1w

Zuhkeeyah Taylor stood out because we were able to hear and see her full story while others were passing moments along the side of the road. Also, the love for her daughter was a strong contrast to Annie's lukewarm excitement about becoming a mom. 1w

BkClubCare And the creepy guy who walks with her for a bit; described as soulless. Annie‘s hackles up but she plays along until he finally leaves. But that was what provoked her need to get the razor blades (which I admit I was baffled by until we saw why) 1w

BkClubCare And the married couple out for a bike ride - heartbreaking 💔 Her wanting to help but needing to survive. That scene hurt me. 1w

BarbaraBB Oh so interesting we all mention other characters. I‘ll add one too, that stuck with me the most: I keep thinking of that man who offers her a ride in his van, and how she argues“Men aren‘t necessarily bad… Every man was once a baby… nobody wants to hurt a pregnant woman,” yet she still turns away, frozen. ❤️‍🩹 1w

squirrelbrain I agree @ImperfectCJ @Zuhkeeyah - we could see the full trajectory (almost) of Taylor‘s story. But the snippets of all the other people she encountered were valuable too. 1w

vonnie862 Oh my gosh, the children! 1w

Deblovestoread Definitely Taylor‘s journey with that desperate need to get the her child. 1w

yourfavouritemixtape For me it was Taylor too, being a parent, the scenes at the school were what hit me the hardest. 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures @DGRachel I agree, I also think since she spent so much time with Taylor stands out the most to me. But honestly I keep thinking about the military men. The guys who are blocking Annie's only way to her husband (maybe, if he is still in the west side) and I agree with @Butterfinger the girl who knocked her off the bike is just horrifying. Nature is going to do what it does, but it was the bad actor people who really threw me. 1w

GatheringBooks I echo what everyone else is saying about Taylor - hers is the most enfleshed narrative, I thought, and there was also a full circle kind of twist in the end when they found each other after all they have experienced. 1w

Megabooks Taylor, of course. I read this the first time months ago, and I've thought at least a few times a week about her crawling into that school since then. I'm not a parent, but I can feel her desperation.

The man on the bike whose wife is obviously dead. That moment when everyone deserts her because they have to survive themselves. Those decisions made me grapple with my own humanity and how I'd feel as any of those people. 1w

Lesliereadsalot Whoever stole her water bottle really pissed me off! 1w

willaful Taylor's story is excruciating... they each saved each other, but Annie may never know what happened to her and her daughter. 1w

CBee Definitely Taylor - I wish we‘d had more resolution with that part 💔 1w

Hooked_on_books I read this book back in March, so reading all the comments are refreshing the details in my head. But before reading the comments, the person I remember most is the pickup driver with a load of people who stopped for her. When someone is worried for their own safety and people yet stops for a stranger, that‘s humanity at its best. 1w

TEArificbooks Well, like everyone, Taylor‘s story and the bike riders and the children really moved me. So I‘m going to add the mother at the school that found her child had died and how Taylor and Annie held her through the Initial trauma and grief. They had their own people they were searching for and time was of the essence but they both stopped to see that woman through for a few minutes. 1w

BarbaraJean Like so many others, Taylor stood out because Annie‘s with her the longest. @ImperfectCJ Yes—how quickly the dynamic shifted between them once the earthquake hit! I loved how the annoyed employee & customer end up keeping each other going. I appreciated the realism of how many people Annie encounters and never sees again, so the reader never finds out what happens to them, either. But I also REALLY wanted to know what happened with Taylor. 1w

BarbaraJean I also appreciated the range of encounters we saw: the best and worst of people, as well as everything in between. @Megabooks That man and his dying wife really haunted me. Everyone leaving felt so callous at first, but I kept thinking: what else could they have done? The teens at the end really shocked me, though. 1w

Megabooks @BarbaraJean I think there were so many slices of humanity at its most desperate in this book. The teens did not shock me. I think with the brain development level, there's a finer line between being taken over to violence or negativity. It seemed that one girl was really egging the other teens on, but she also could've been turning them against others to protect herself. 1w

Suet624 @Hooked_on_books I love that you brought up the pickup driver. You‘re so right… 1w

Suet624 Taylor - needing Annie to go with her to the school but then, once there, being brave and desperate enough to go inside the school on her own - was the character that we knew more about and so it makes sense that‘s the character we focus on. But I appreciated how many other possibilities we encountered along the way- those who help, those who hinder, and those that hurt. 1w

MeganAnn @Hooked_on_books yes, the pickup driver stood out to me as well and also the people in the back of the truck who helped lift Annie into it and find her space to sit. 1w

MeganAnn I loved how the characters she meets along the way each seem to show another side of humanity. We see good and bad and in between and I think it makes her journey through the disaster of the city more realistic. Of course Taylor is memorable since we get to know more about her with Annie, but I also think the brief moments with all these other people are just as important. 1w

Chelsea.Poole Great question! Those side characters really did pack a punch. I‘m with everyone who mentioned Taylor. I‘d be crawling into that brick pile that used to be a school too, searching for my child by any means necessary. An aside in the next comment [with a spoiler] that doesn‘t have to do with the book but happened while I was reading it and related to this scene mentioned above. 1w

Chelsea.Poole My second grade teacher‘s grown son (late 40s) went missing in our area while I was reading this book. He‘s a brilliant man but dealt with mental illness throughout his life. He left home around a boat ramp and the search party gathered there. I‘ll never get the image of his mother sitting there day after day at his last known location. Tragically, he was located deceased after a week. It brought to mind Taylor‘s reaction to her missing child. 1w

Chelsea.Poole Also, the husband and wife bikers really hit hard. Annie showed such a kindness to them both. 1w

CBee @Chelsea.Poole that‘s just horrible 💔 1w

Maggie4483 Maybe it‘s my “Murderino/Crime Junkie” side coming out, but the potentially or explicitly dangerous characters (guy in van, guy near bridge, teens) that stuck with me the most. It reminded me of The Walking Dead, where you think the villain in the story is going to be one thing (zombies there, earthquake here), but it‘s the people that you have to watch out for. The zombies and/or tectonic plates are just doing what comes naturally to them… 1w

Maggie4483 When there is a big natural disaster like this, I think the news tends to show only the best of humanity-people providing medical aid, helping clear rubble, handing out food and water-but there will always be those who take advantage in these situations. 1w

Chelsea.Poole @Maggie4483 excellent point! Also makes me think of The Last of Us. 1w

52 likes45 comments

BarbaraBB

Tilt | Emma Pattee

#CampLitsy25 question 2

Let‘s discuss the title (and maybe the bird on the cover?)!

Megabooks, squirrelbrain

Susanita The literal tilt during the aftershock at the closed bridge was alarming! The story of the bird was very sad to me. (edited) 1w

mcctrish The cover made no sense until it did and it was bittersweet. The entire story was one where Annie was trying to get her footing, first as a playwright, in a relationship, in a job she didn‘t really want but was good at and needed, in a relationship, pregnant, in a disaster. The title was kind of brilliant 1w

AmyG @mcctrish YES. I kept thinking how life tilts one way, then another. Her marriage, how it was not “tilting” or leaning in a good direction. I, too, thought the title was perfect. 1w

See All 35 Comments

ImperfectCJ I think the title fits well. Some of the tilts I noticed: sitting with the cyclist (and deciding to leave), her observation of Taylor and other parents at the school, the bridge scene and having no way to get to Dom, her recollections of the sneaker wave and her mom's birds. All push her towards a self-reliance and confidence in her own strength that I don't think she had before. 1w

Butterfinger I agree with @mcctrish her stability was her mother, and then her husband. It was a brilliant title. I think, when there was no where else to go, was when she decided she was the only one who she can lean on. She was so strong when she fought back. The bird...just encapsulates her feelings towards the mom. It didn't do anything for me. It could have been the caterpillar, broken bridge, anything. 1w

DGRachel This is fascinating to me because I didn‘t even think about the title once I started the book. 😂🤷🏻‍♀️ 1w

Jas16 The title was well chosen. You go into the story just thinking it refers to the earthquake and then realize it captures so much more. 1w

Bookwormjillk I agree with everyone- it was a good title. The literal tilt of the aftershock was most memorable to me. 1w

Zuhkeeyah The title is perfect. Everything is shifting for Annie literally and figuratively. The world no longer makes sense as it was because a big change is here. 1w

BkClubCare @ImperfectCJ - excellent thoughts 1w

BkClubCare Yes, how off balance you feel physically and morally, all of it. Constantly unsettled. 1w

BarbaraBB I agree with everyone. Such a well chose title. Annie has tilted into a new reality: one where survival is about carrying forward with a new clarity about what matters. 1w

squirrelbrain The more you think about it, the more places you can see how perfect the title is. 1w

vonnie862 The title matched the book. Everything was shifting: the physical world and Annie's life. 1w

Deblovestoread II was glad we finally figured how the bird related because it didn‘t seem to fit what is a perfect title. 1w

yourfavouritemixtape What @squirrelbrain said: I notice the more I think about it, the more perfect the title becomes. And I also like the fact that the word itself feels almost… soft? And not at all like the horror she lives through. 1w

JamieArc @yourfavouritemixtape I agree that the title feels a bit soft. I still think it‘s a good title. I think a lot of her relationship with her husband. I imagine it tilting and tilting until eventually it‘s going to fall over. 1w

Christine Well said, @mcctrish ! Including about the bird. And I realize design/visuals are subjective but the cover was not for me!! I love a house finch (the most prevalent bird in our backyard), but I was planning to skip this one until it became a #CampLitsy25 pick, in large part, I think, bc of the cover! 🤦‍♀️ (Glad I didn‘t skip!) 1w

GatheringBooks I love the question. I think one pivotal “tilting” moment for Annie was when she went back home after feeling out of sorts in her 1st semester in NY - what would have happened if she stayed? Or if she did not marry her husband for health insurance, another tilting moment; & finally her husband‘s decision to lie & go to that audition thing which led to Annie‘s miles-long trek. It‘s the little decisions we make that make a world of difference 1w

Megabooks I never gave it a thought until Barbara wrote this question. I can see what all of you are saying. I can also think of it as “tilt“ in a pinball machine - are things stuck until you give it a shake? I'd say Annie was certainly stuck in a lot of ways. The aftermath of this will greatly change her and her child's life. 1w

Ruthiella @GatheringBooks Great point! So many decisions that led her to be where she was at that moment. 1w

Lesliereadsalot The tilt affected everything in Annie‘s world, so it‘s a much larger tilt than just the earthquake. It‘s a tilt of how she will now perceive herself, and Dom were he to show up. One big tilt changes all the other aspects of her life. 1w

willaful Some of the other editions had a raccoon on the cover, which may make more symbolic sense, but I hate it. 1w

CBee It‘s a perfect title - not much to add as I agree with everything said here. The bird was odd at first and then it wasn‘t - that was a difficult part for me (my own loss and symbolism of birds in my life too). 1w

mcctrish @GatheringBooks yes!!!! 1w

Jas16 @Megabooks I like your thought about the pinball machine. 1w

Hooked_on_books I hadn‘t thought about the metaphorical meaning of the title, only the literal one, but you‘re absolutely right! It adds depth to the title, linking it to all the life events in the book. 1w

TEArificbooks I agree with everyone here life is being tilted figuratively with a baby and realizing her husband will never grow up and do responsible things for her and her child. 1w

TEArificbooks I think another pivotal tilt was the bike riders. On a normal day, if someone is hurt you stay and help until first responders come. But knowing they weren‘t coming really changed things. It was her first oh things are really bad moment. Yes she survived the earthquake and new things were bad, but it was her first situation that showed all fast humanity devolved. 1w

BarbaraJean @mctrish YES. I actually felt like the circumstances of Annie‘s life as they were revealed made the earthquake a little too on the nose as a metaphor! The title was perfection. There were a couple pivotal tilts for me. When Annie decided to head downtown to find Dom once she reached his work and discovered he‘d called out, and then on the bridge when she can‘t get through to where he would be. Those two shifts are almost reversals of each other. 1w

BarbaraJean @yourfavoritemixtape @JamieArc Yes, the title seems like a huge understatement. These are jolts and ruptures and irreversible breaks, rather than a small tilt! But I love the sense of being off-balance that the title evokes. I think that‘s perfect for the aftermath of the violent ruptures Annie goes through here. 1w

Suet624 @megabooks I really liked what you had to say about the pinball machine. So true. 1w

MeganAnn I agree with everyone‘s comments about the title. At the beginning it simply seems to refer to the earthquake, but after finishing the book it has so much more meaning. I think the same can be said of the cover. The design with the bird feels absolutely perfect for this story after reading it. But, I don‘t know if I would have read it off the cover alone had it not been a camp pick. 1w

Chelsea.Poole Loved the title. Loved the cover art with the bird 🥺 I perked up at use of the word “tilt” throughout, used in several situations without reference to the earthquake. 1w

Maggie4483 I kept staring at that bird trying to figure out what it had to do with the story…and didn‘t notice the wire legs until just before I got to that scene. When her mom comes home without selling a single bird was heartbreaking. We all eventually come to the realization that our parents aren‘t perfect and infallible. But seeing your parent‘s vulnerability or insecurity, especially after a “failure” is on a whole different level. 1w

48 likes35 comments

BarbaraBB

Tilt | Emma Pattee

#CampLitsy25 question 3

That was quite the ending. You must have thoughts about it. Talk to us!

Megabooks, squirrelbrain

Suet624 Questions 1 and 2 are not showing up on my feed and that also means that no one was tagged. 1w

BarbaraBB @Suet624 you were too fast, they‘re here now 💕 1w

Susanita I found the ending a little frustrating TBH. Somehow, though, I knew better than to expect everything to be tied up in a bow. 1w

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mcctrish The ending was gripping - I was getting Walking Dead vibes sometimes in this because of how fraught it is for a pregnant woman to be alone in the world #idchoosethebear EP is a MASTER at building tension 1w

ImperfectCJ The ending feels right to me. The teenagers attacking her (and her self defense) seem brutal in comparison with her previous thoughts/actions, but I read it as an indication she was moving out of her ambivalence and into Mama Bear mode. She's accepted doing this on her own, even not knowing what happened to Dom. The birth scene uses language similar to how I describe my son's birth (although I was in my dining room, not a park), which was cool. 1w

AmyG At some point I realized the ending. And all her doubts about being a mother….her instinct took over. It was all inside of her all along. 1w

DGRachel I did not like the near-feral teen scene. It felt thrown in for shock value, but I liked that she still hadn‘t found Dom. There was an inner strength that I think finally became clear to her when she gave birth alone, like @AmyG said. 1w

Butterfinger I liked the ending. Everything that @AmyG said. Instincts took over. Pattee even described her as snarling when she tried to pass the teens. 1w

Jas16 I agree with @DGRachel I didn‘t really like the scene with the teens but the rest of the ending felt right to me. 1w

Bookwormjillk I would have liked a more detailed ending but I do understand why it ended that way. You can‘t really tie up something like that neatly. 1w

Zuhkeeyah The ending was fitting for her journey. Annie found a new axis to spin around despite all the uncertainty she had experienced since the morning. 1w

BarbaraBB To me the ending felt inevitable in a way that matched the rest of the novel‘s tone.There‘s a sense that Annie has tilted permanently into a new reality: one where survival is about carrying forward with a new clarity about what matters. But maybe that‘s how I want to see it! 1w

BkClubCare I didn‘t “like” the scene with the teens either but I think it worked. She needed to be provoked into her fierceness and know she could be ready for what might be next. I am liking the book more and more upon reflection and I was on board for it before and during. (And the cover is perfect, too) 1w

squirrelbrain @ImperfectCJ @DGRachel @Jas16 @BkClubCare - the scene with the teens felt really jarring at first but looking back on it, it did fit with the narrative and led on to the ending. 1w

vonnie862 I had mixed feelings about the ending. The attack from the teens and the birth were fitting but I needed closer when it came to Dom. 1w

Deblovestoread The scene with the teens was tough but I think necessary so the we know at the end Annie has the determination to face the future with her baby in her now chaotic world. 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures @ImperfectCJ goodness! Can I ask, did you mean to have a home birth, or was it a surprise? I agree with your thoughts on the book, the ending felt good to me also. I like how you describe her going into mama bear mode. 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures @DGRachel I also like that she didn't find Dom, though I felt bad for her about it, I know she loves him but throughout the book IMO he did nothing but drag her down. She will be so much more without him. 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures I was a bit nervous about the ending, you can feel the birth coming, and I was getting flashbacks from a book I hated (Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy - I despise the birth scene in this) but I think this one worked for me, it lead to this cumulation of Annie's development, bringing in new life, to her whole new life - being stronger, not having Dom, knowing herself better, and being in a physically new world after the quake 1w

JamieArc I didn‘t need her to find Dom. The reunion would have felt… I don‘t know. Not true to the reality of their relationship? But the abrupt ending left me a little “ugh.” I didn‘t love it. 1w

yourfavouritemixtape I agree with @BkClubCare she needed to be provoked to have her do what she‘s able to. I knew the end had to be open, but somehow I kind of hoped that the story would end before her giving birth. I don‘t really know why. 1w

GatheringBooks @mcctrish agreed about the mastery in building up tension - it was such a gripping read and it is the perfect length for it. There is a tightness to the narrative - kind of like pared down to its barest essence and so subtle too, that it works well. Yet the lines are snappy, the momentum ever moving forward, and the story pretty engaging thruout. I am a fan of ambiguous open endings, plus it felt fitting for me. 1w

Megabooks I liked the scene with the teens. I think EP needed to show how far Annie would go on her own to save her life and the life of her child. I like that she finally finds her inner strength. Not knowing (or really believing) Dom was alive also made her realize she had to be strong enough to face the aftermath of the earthquake and parenthood by herself. TBH, at times I thought of him more as a millstone around her neck than a husband. 1w

Christine I liked the ending! And I just assumed Dom was dead with the news of Old Town being flattened - anyone else? 1w

Lesliereadsalot I agree with @Christine I liked the ending and I was sure Dom was dead. That “deadweight “ will not be around to hinder her growth and she and the baby will be just fine. 1w

willaful It might be because I identified too much with my own situation, but I found the lack of closure upsetting. 1w

CBee At first I wanted more, but as I thought about it further, it needed to end that way. I had a feeling it would end with her giving birth. I was actually surprised she made it that long! 1w

mcctrish @DGRachel @ImperfectCJ @Jas16 the teen scene has been niggling in the back of my brain - it did feel shocking or had greater shock impact to me because the other moments of violence were fleeting. So many adults were tethered by concern/worry-their loved ones, their property, their jobs so they don‘t react poorly, but the teens have had their ties to normalcy cut so gang mentality reigns. 1w

Jas16 @mcctrish it some ways it just seemed too soon for me for the teens to be roving around in violent packs. Which I know sounds silly but if it had been a day or two of chaos later- sure. 1w

mcctrish @Jas16 I get that completely - these ones were already bad to the bone 😂 they needed no persuading to go to the dark side 1w

Hooked_on_books I thought the ending both worked for the book and was realistic in the sense that such a major shock spurring early labor is unsurprising. It was also a nice ending for Annie character arc. 1w

TEArificbooks At first I wanted more at the end. I wanted confirmation that Dom was dead. I wanted her to find her home was still standing and give birth inside her own home. And I wanted her to have a safe place to recover for a few days at least. But I respect the author ending it when she did and adding the teens drove the Annie‘s character development to believing she has to do it alone and she can do it alone. 1w

BarbaraJean For me, the ending was both too abrupt and also the only way this could have ended. I assumed Dom was dead (I‘m with you @Christine and @Lesliereadsalot!), especially after the bridge. And with what‘s revealed about their marriage and how little support I assume Annie would have had as a mother—no matter what, it was still going to come down to just her and Bean in the end. It was just the most extreme version of that! ⬇ 1w

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) So it was as expected and it felt right to me… but I was also disappointed. I wanted more answers, more resolution. I wanted to know definitively what had happened to Dom, to Taylor and her daughter, to so many others… but in the end, all that Annie was going to have was Bean. And that was enough. That felt right. 1w

ImperfectCJ @ChaoticMissAdventures It was a planned homebirth, so MUCH different circumstances, but still the birth itself Pattee described in words that really resonated for me. (I wrote about the birth at length on my blog, if you happen to like birth stories: https://imperfecthappiness.org/2011/08/08/my-sons-birth-story-part-1-ramping-up/ It's my son's 16th birthday today, so I'm thinking about his birth a lot) 1w

JamieArc One thing that drove me a little crazy was why did Annie think that Dom would stay where he was instead of going to look for her? It felt risky. I would have just gone home first. 1w

Leniverse @JamieArc Agreed! Although it made more sense to me with the ending. Her instincts were telling her to find her partner. Although I kept thinking that nesting at home would make more sense, I am also reminded that I paced the hospital hallways for about 12 hours on the day I gave birth to my first child 😂 Being still didn't feel like an option. 1w

Leniverse I hate open ended books. This wasn't even an ambiguous ending, it just stopped. The only thing that had been resolved was her feelings about her baby. And as cathartic as the birth scene was, unless Annie has watched a YouTube tutorial on how to safely cut the umbilical cord with a razor blade coated in someone else's blood, I hope whoever is out there with a flashlight has some medical training. 🤪 1w

Suet624 @Christine yes, I assume Dom is dead. 1w

Suet624 @Leniverse I laughed out loud when I read your comment about the book just stopping and how to safely cut the cord. I felt the same way. 1w

Suet624 I am so glad that I‘ve been able to read other‘s thoughts about the book. The comments have offered some insights that I hadn‘t thought about. Generally speaking, I enjoyed reading the story but was disappointed by the ending. 1w

MeganAnn @BarbaraBB I agree that the ending felt inevitable. I thought it matched the tone of the novel and that we are getting the parts of the story we need to show that with the birth of Bean, Annie‘s reality has tilted into being a mother. It didn‘t really bother me that we don‘t get more answers. 1w

MeganAnn @Leniverse your comment made me laugh as well as @Suet624 🤣 I‘m just going to assume that whoever is out there knows what to do and will take care of Annie and Bean. 1w

Christine @Lesliereadsalot @BarbaraJean @Suet624 I wonder whether Annie also immediately thought he was dead but pushed past that? Can't remember if that was alluded to in the book.
@JamieArc I 100% would have gone home!! Though I guess the fact that Annie didn't might be saying something about what she knew or thought she knew about Dom...
1w

Lesliereadsalot @Christine I think she continued to think he was alive, but when she couldn‘t get to him, decided to go home. She couldn‘t let her mind go to where he might be dead. 1w

Chelsea.Poole The only part about the book I didn‘t like was the teen girl attack. It felt…wrong, somehow. @DGRachel I agree. And @Jas16 1w

Chelsea.Poole I agree with @christine and everyone else who assumes Dom is dead. And @JamieArc I agree—Annie should have gone home to find him. I thought about what I would do in her situation and I like to think I‘d go home, but who knows how I‘d react in such a disaster. I‘m usually the panicking type. (edited) 1w

Well-ReadNeck @Leniverse Yes! 💯 1w

rockpools @Zuhkeeyah Love your comment about her finding a new axis to spin round - and describes really well her relationship with her Mum and with Dom. The whole day has been a conversation with Bean, so ending with her birth seemed right, even if everything is unresolved. 1w

Maggie4483 I think we‘re all so used to disaster movies, where the MC‘s husband (played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) would show up at just the right moment to rescue her. Real life‘s not like that; it will likely be weeks or months before Annie knows what happened to Dom (if ever). So I think the ending, while somewhat unsatisfying, was more realistic. 1w

42 likes50 comments

MyNamesParadise

Tilt | Emma Pattee

so-so

I‘m glad this audiobook was short. It‘s basically a stream of consciousness of a woman as she goes through a day after a major earthquake strikes. I wasn‘t that entranced with the main character & there wasn‘t as much action as I thought there‘d be. I guess I need something with plot to keep me interested. This was recommended by someone whose recommendations I don‘t usually care for so now I know better. Wasn‘t the worst book but nothing special.

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Christine

Tilt | Emma Pattee

pick

Glad to finally know why that bird is on the cover!! 😆

Liked this overall and in the end found it more moving than I thought I would halfway through. Looking forward to Saturday's chat!

squirrelbrain Looking forward to the weekend too! 2w

59 likes1 comment

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