“It was, at the beginning, a quite invisible catastrophe”
When Julia wakes up one Saturday morning following a sleepover with her best friend, she has no idea of the disaster that will change her life forever. This ‘quite invisible catastrophe’ is the slowing of earth’s rotation, which means the 24 hour day is gradually getting longer until day becomes night and night becomes day. It is against this backdrop that Julia must face that painful transition from childhood to teens. Everything changes for her, from her family stability to her friendships; her confidence to her perceptions of the adults around her.
The Age of Miracles is a heartbreaking, unique coming-of-age story that was just utterly sublime to read. It was easy to imagine the slowing actually happened and it really made me think about how we would cope in that situation in terms of international political response and the effect it would have on our relationships and day-to-day lives. I could definitely identify with Julia’s feelings of loneliness and isolation, and it was interesting to imagine whether her relationships would have been different without the outside force of ‘the slowing’ or if the changes were an inevitable part of growing up. I definitely think it was the right decision to have a young girl as the protagonist rather than focus on an adult perspective.
I don’t usually read reviews of a book once I have read it, but I happened to come across some when I searched on Google to find out whether The Age of Miracles is going to be made into a movie. I was happy to find out that it is, to be directed by Catherine Hardwicke, as it could be such a glorious movie in the right hands. I picture an atmospheric masterpiece, similar in style to 2011’s Another Earth. Anyway, back to books! One review I saw was critical of The Age of Miracles from a sci-fi perspective, but for me it simply isn’t a sci-fi book, and if it had been marketed as that then chances are I wouldn’t have read it, as sci-fi is not a genre I tend to seek out. Yes there is a science-fiction element in the book, but ultimately it is Julia’s coming-of-age story that is at the heart of it, and this is done superbly well by Karen Thompson Walker. It is certainly one of the best debut novels I have ever read, and it left me with a lump in my throat, (and okay maybe a few tears were shed too). I look forward to what is next from this wonderful author.
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The Literary Owl rating: 9/10
Read with: your favourite childhood sweets to help reminisce about the trials and tribulations of growing up.
The Literary Owl 