I really enjoyed this short read by author and climate journalist, Emma Pattee. Set over a 24-hour period, it follows Annie, who is 37 weeks pregnant, as she struggles to make her way home after an earthquake has struck. Based in Portland, Oregon the long predicted Cascadia Earthquake has destroyed much of the Pacific Northwest from California to Vancouver. Annie has been crib shopping in IKEA when the quake hits and she must now must make her way to downtown Portland where Dom, her feckless, wannabe actor husband, is rehearsing in a local theatre. On her journey, she witnesses the best and the very worst of humankind.

Through a series of flashback chapters, we learn about Annie’s past, her stalled career as a playwright and the precarious state of her marriage. Annie talks to Bean, her unborn child, throughout this person narrative promising her she won’t repeat the mistakes of her past.

I really liked this easy read; short, sharp and filled with black humour. Many thanks to @Netgalley and @harpercollins for this advance read in return for my honest review. Tilt will be published on 4 March 2025.

"Tilt" by Emma Pattee is an intense quick read. The author made the brave decision to keep the book short and you can read it easily in 3 - 4 hours. The story starts in an every day situation: heavily pregnant women in Ikea trying to buy last minute essentials for her new baby. Then the earthquake hits. The rest of the story is her navigating this natural disaster, following the crowds and walking. Flash backs relieve the tension and you get to know her and her husband's past. This is bound to be made into a film. I'd watch it.

An excellent debut that firmly marks Pattee as one to watch for me.
There's some humour in this book, right from the beginning, when the earthquake hits and our main heavily pregnant character is having a strop in ikea.
It balances out so well, with all the trauma and chaos we are now going to witness as she tries to make her way to her husband.
A scarily realistic story of things that could, and possibly would happen when natural disasters occur.
I raced to the end.
Great read.

I really enjoyed this book, I read it in two sittings!
You can tell the author has researched the subject well, and can also tell she has been pregnant! She navigates well through the feelings both physical and mental of pregnancy.
My only wish is it had been longer and the ending was a slight letdown. Overall definitely worth a read.

So much of this book was enjoyable and I was really rooting for pregnant Annie to reach her husband after the earthquake hit. The ending felt a slight disappointment though, hence the three stars.

What a gripping read! This was horrifying and intriguing all at once, and I couldn't stop reading. I was desperate to find out what would happen. This covered so many relatable themes, such as pregnancy fears, childbirth, financial worries, relationship strain, unachieved dreams... And then added on the feared natural disaster and how would people deal with that. It was cleverly written, going back and forth between the day of the earthquake and the main character's past, leading up to the fateful day.

Annie, at 37 weeks pregnant, is in IKEA buying a crib and wishing she'd done so sooner, when an earthquake hits. She gets out, with help from the IKEA employee, Taylor, she'd previously complained to about the crib she couldn't find. These women form an unlikely bond as they both search for missing loved ones and much of the present day part of the story revolves around them and their experiences of (in Annie's case, impending) motherhood. Alongside this, told in alternate chapters, we get some back story of Annie's life from 17 years ago up to today. I found these chapters less interesting than those post-earthquake and raced through them to get back to the 'main' story. There wasn't anything wrong with these chapters, they just didn't have the same pull.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and will be interested to see what else the author writes in the future. I also found the note at the end, about how she'd researched aspects of the book, really interesting.

Annie is nine months pregnant and could give birth at any moment, but she still doesn't have a cot for the baby, hence the visit to Ikea. Sounds pretty mundane so far, right? Well, no. While arguing with an Ikea employee about stock levels, a catastrophic earthquake hits the West Coast of America. What follows could be considered a doomsday scenario as Annie tries to leave Ikea (which is difficult even without an earthquake and its aftermath) to find her husband and get to safety.

We stay with Annie as she tries to reach her husband, but the narrative also takes us back to different segments in time to understand what led to Annie being in Ikea on that very day. I thought this was a great book—short, powerful, and brilliantly executed. It was very nearly a five-star read for me; it would have been if it had been longer

What an interesting take on what could be a reality for many. A natural disaster, predicted by many but few prepare for, it reads just like such a stressful day should. Trying to get through the shock of it all, keep going, while looking back at how it all came about.

Once I started it I couldn't put it down, I wanted to know what was coming next and how it would end. You can't ask for more than that from a novel really! An emotional and eye opening read.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the chance to read one of my anticipated books a bit early!

Tilt is a haunting and reflective short book which left me wanting more. Especially in the wake of the recent fires in LA it once again made me aware of how what we see on TV every day can suddenly and overnight also become our reality. I especially enjoyed the aspect of reading from a POV that I haven't previously read anything from yet: being 37 weeks pregnant is quite an ordeal on any given day I imagine, but during a natural disaster? I was anxious the whole time while reading and the utter realness of the situation made me realise that life in such a situation can be both terrifying but also help us reveal some serious fighter instinct in us.

This was a brutal read! Even more timely with all of the fires in California going on, makes you reflect on how life can change in one minute. It's suffocating but thought provoking. A 5 star read!

One of the blurbs for this book describes it as “The Road meets Nightbitch meets What to Expect When You’re Expecting” which is almost correct but misleading and effectively exaggerated in two crucial respects.

Firstly, the book while very much intersecting with the post disaster genre does is rooted very much in a potential and localised disaster (here a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake devastating the City of Portland) rather than in McCarthy’s post apocalyptic novel.

Secondly, the book while a hard hitting treatment of pregnancy (and I think informed by the author’s own struggles with pre-natal depression ) does not have the fantastical/allegorical elements of Rachel Yoder’s writing but is more grounded.

The novel opens in Portland, Oregon our first party narrator Annie – 37 weeks pregnant (which in unenlightened USA means she is on the first day of her maternity leave) – finds herself one moment having a rather fraught conversation with an Ikea worker when she cannot locate the crib she is after (and should have bought months before), the next buried under a pile of the cribs – rescued only by the same worker she was arguing with - after what she quickly realises is a catastrophic earthquake.

The novel – effectively spoken by her to her unborn but imminently due baby (nicknamed “Bean”) and written in a present tense which fits the immediacy of the circumstances in which she finds herself then traces Annie’s journey across a devastated City as she journeys to where she thinks she may find her husband Dom – initially at the coffee shop where he works, then and with a much greater sense of dread to the downtown theatre where it seems he has been rehearsing (at one stage meeting again the Ikea worker – herself on a journey to the downtown school where she fears her daughter is buried).

Despite a map, the Portland setting (a city about which I have – I suspect like most UK readers – absolutely no knowledge at all) while close to the author was perhaps not entirely conducive to following the action – there is a reason I think why most disaster movies are set in more familiar landscapes such as New York.

Instead for much of the novel, instead the most effective parts are as Annie looks back on past incidents – particularly over her pregnancy. Annie we learn was an aspiring playwright and met Dom – an aspiring actor – in her only production. Whereas she buried her ambition for the practicalities of life (a steady if uninspiring job and a regular if low salary with a medical plan) Dom still harbours ambitions of success and refuses anything other than casual labour (in the mode of a classic “resting” actor). Annie is also troubled by the memory of her mother – an early victim of Covid before Covid was really known.

As an aside the author is a climate journalist, best known for the concept of a Climate Shadow and I did like the way that the disaster is exacerbated by extreme heat and even what seemed to me a nod to her concept when Annie coming across a man desperately asking for help for his mortally wounded wife says “I stand so that I am blocking the sun, so they can be in the shade. I don’t know what else to do.”.

And for me the novel’s most powerful aspects are towards the end – an end which will not be satisfying to those looking for a sense of simple closure/resolution of Annie’s trek – but will I think work really well for those more interested in prose and theme – as Annie, faced both with Bean’s imminent birth and the disaster unfolding around her suddenly has an almost incandescent level of clarity about her life choices to date and what is really important going forwards.

Overall an easy but propulsive and memorable read.

Tilt is a reflective, timely novel that resonated with me, especially given the backdrop of the LA fires right now. The story follows a woman grappling with her life and choices after surviving a devastating earthquake. While the premise isn’t particularly unique, the execution is readable, engaging, and sprinkled with humor—some dark, some lighter—that made it memorable.

I appreciated the honest reflections on motherhood and pregnancy; those moments felt real and relatable. The book also serves as a gentle reminder to find beauty in life, even when it feels like the ground is literally shifting beneath you. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s an easy and worthwhile read that lingers after you’re done.

I requested on Netgalley as I had read a physical advance and wanted to review.

Tilt follows Annie, near end of term pregnancy and crib-shopping in Ikea, Portland, when the big west coast Cascadia quake arrives to turn things upside down. We follow as Annie, after surviving initial ordeals, sets of walking back to where she hopes she will find her husband. A story of survival and hope with increasing dramatic elements as the book moves on, intercut with sections looking back at Annie's life, to how she arrived at the starting place of the novel.

An excellent novel in all aspects, drama, character, sense of place and fitting in (or not!).

Tilt by Emma Pattee is a captivating and thought-provoking read that offers a fresh perspective on love, loss, and self-discovery. The author’s writing is lyrical and evocative, drawing readers into the complex emotional lives of the characters. The story unfolds through multiple points of view, which gives a well-rounded understanding of each character’s inner struggles and growth.

The novel’s strength lies in its ability to explore deep, relatable themes while maintaining a sense of warmth and hope. The relationships in the story feel genuine, and the struggles the characters face are handled with sensitivity. However, there are moments when the pacing feels slow, and certain plot developments could have been fleshed out a bit more.

Overall, Tilt is an engaging and insightful novel that leaves a lasting impression. The characters are memorable, and the emotional depth makes it a rewarding read for anyone interested in stories about personal transformation and connection. I would highly recommend it to fans of contemporary fiction with an emphasis on character-driven narratives.

Emma Pattee’s Tilt is a gripping, heart-pounding debut that unfolds in real-time during a single chaotic day. Set in the aftermath of a massive earthquake that devastates Portland, Oregon, the book immerses readers in the visceral experience of survival and self-reflection.

Annie, nine months pregnant and unexpectedly caught in the middle of the disaster while shopping for a crib at IKEA, finds herself isolated with no way to reach her husband. As the city crumbles around her, she is left with no choice but to walk through the wreckage, struggling to find safety in a world that’s suddenly been turned upside down. With no phone, no money, and no clear path forward, Annie’s journey becomes a powerful exploration of resilience and self-discovery.

Pattee expertly weaves together elements of survival and introspection, blending Annie’s desperate physical journey with her emotional and psychological one. Along the way, she encounters both the darker sides of human nature, including rioting and desperation, and moments of unexpected kindness, such as her unlikely friendship with a young mother. These encounters add a poignant depth to the story, revealing Annie’s reflections on her failing marriage, her anxieties about motherhood, and the overwhelming feeling of life not turning out as she imagined.

The propulsive pacing of Tilt mirrors the urgency of Annie’s quest, while the emotional weight of her journey provides moments of deep introspection. This is a book about personal reinvention, survival, and confronting the choices we make—or fail to make—when faced with life’s most challenging moments.

A perfect read for fans of disaster fiction, Tilt offers a fresh and gripping perspective on both the immediate trauma of a catastrophe and the more personal earthquakes that shape our lives. With its blend of tense, real-time survival and heartfelt reflection, Pattee’s debut is a remarkable and resonant exploration of human strength and vulnerability.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

This book was a ride!

I literally flew through it in two short sittings.

We meet Annie, a mother-to-be, in IKEA, shopping for a crib when an earthquake hits. What follows is an emotional rollercoaster of her journey to find her husband, Dom, through her talking to her unborn baby.

This book effortlessly explores two rather different topics: natural disasters and motherhood, in such a clever way. at some points I was breathless following Annie’s real-world journey, and at others, I felt the emotional pull of her internal monologue as she explored her feelings towards her baby, Bean.

A really clever story. I’d never heard of the Cascadia earthquake but now I’m scared (I live in the UK and have never experienced an earthquake!)

Loved this one, it just ended a little too abruptly for me!

Tilt by Emma Pattee is an unflinching, beautifully crafted novel that explores both the literal and metaphorical fractures in Annie's life. The story begins with a disaster - a massive earthquake that dismantles the Pacific Northwest -but it’s Annie’s inner turmoil that truly drives the narrative. Nine months pregnant and stranded far from home, she must navigate a shattered landscape to return to her husband, a man she’s been emotionally distancing herself from for years.

Pattee weaves flashbacks seamlessly through the present-day narrative, creating a dual tension: the external struggle for survival and the internal reckoning of a relationship on the brink. The pacing is pitch-perfect, balancing moments of terror and humour with an overarching sense of inevitability that makes the story impossible to put down.

Annie’s journey is raw and visceral, a meditation on resilience, regret, and the choices that shape our lives. Her vulnerability - both physical and emotional - is deeply relatable, and the earthquake serves as a stark metaphor for the fault lines in her marriage and identity.

While we don’t learn Annie’s ultimate fate, that’s not the point of the story. Tilt is less about where she ends up and more about how she finds the strength to keep moving forward, rediscovering connection and purpose in the midst of upheaval.

Pattee’s writing is sharp and evocative, capturing both the chaos of a disaster and the quiet moments of clarity that follow. This isn’t just a survival story; it’s a deeply human tale about rediscovering connection and purpose in the midst of upheaval.

For readers who loved the blend of introspection and disaster in Lily Brooks-Dalton's Good Morning, Midnight or the emotional survival narrative of Room, Tilt is a must-read.

For a cinematic companion, I’d recommend The Impossible, a powerful film about surviving a natural disaster while navigating family bonds, which echoes the raw emotionality of Annie’s journey.