Fallout by Todd Strasser
It’s 1962, and all anyone is talking about is the
possibility of nuclear war. Scott’s dad is the only person in their
neighborhood who has prepared for the worst though, building a bomb shelter in
their backyard, but praying they will never have to use it. Then, in the middle
of the night, the unthinkable happens. As the sirens blare, Scott and his
family run to the shelter, but are unable to close the doors before some of
their neighbors force their way inside. Trapped underground, ten people in the
space that was meant for four, with food and supplies for only four, they must
survive until the radiation levels return to a sage level. But even worse than
the possibility of starvation is what will remain once the door is opened
again.
You know Todd Strasser. Even if you don’t think you do, you
do. He has penned such tales as The Wave,
Give a Boy a Gun, The Good Son, and Home
Alone. Yes, that Home Alone.
Strasser grew up during this nuclear war era. His dad built a bomb shelter in their
backyard. And this story was the thing of his nightmares. What if nuclear war
came? Would their shelter really have protected them? What about their
neighbors, friends, family that were left behind on the other side?
I was absolutely entranced by this novel. The chapters
bounce back and forth between the past (pre-bomb) and the present (in the
bunker) making the pacing of this story incredible. The chapters of the past
did a lot of world and character building, painting the picture of the fear
that pervaded the children’s lives. We see how Scott and his best friend get
along (or don’t), how different children were raised, how parents were reacting
to this situation, of the terror of drills. Then, in the bunker, things are so
dire that, despite liking the character building chapters, I was always eager
to get back to the present. Would they survive? How do ten people share food
meant for four for two weeks?
Just to be clear, this is not like the film Blast From the Past. This is an
alternative history novel. In this book, a nuclear bomb really did go off. Everyone
they knew, their neighbors, friends, wives, are dead. I definitely felt like I
learned so much more about how people approached this situation than the
slightly didactic, although very interesting Countdown. The characters felt so real and fleshed out. The fear is
tangible. The hopelessness understandable. The desperate will to survive
commendable.
At the end of the book, Strasser speaks about returning to
his old home and visiting the bunker that his father had placed in the
backyard. The hatch in the playroom had been sealed off, but the new owner had
made an entrance from the yard. What the man found as he tried to break in were
thick walls, reinforced with steel and concrete feet thick. His comment to
Strasser, “Your father must have really wanted to keep you safe.”
One of the best books I have read this year. Oh, and I love the cover.
0 comments:
Post a Comment