REVIEW: The Age of Miracles

    When I first laid my eyes on the glossy cover of The Age of Miracles I figured it would just be another slow paced, coming of age novel that I would fight my way through for the next couple of weeks. After reading the first few chapters, I developed an interest in the story. I'm not usually one for the types of books that I am only reading because they have been assigned to me, but this one wasn't so bad. I liked it. It's not the type of book I might read in my free time, but it certainly broadened my horizons to a different style of writing.
    Karen Thompson Walker displays a variety of ways to pull a reader in through her sentence structure, plot choice, and point of view.
    Her use of short, descriptive sentences in the very beginning allows the reader's mind to wander by giving them an idea of the main issue the characters in the story are facing without giving it away. It quickly leads the reader through the first chapter and on to the second. Mind you, the first and second chapter are extremely short, but it shows the reader early on that they shouldn't just read to the next chapter. Why not continue?
    While reading a book, most people make goals for themselves. "Oh, I'll just read the first chapter." Little do they know, they get to page three, they're already on chapter two, and still don't know anything about the plot. They then continue reading and start relying on the actual plot for a goal rather than what chapter they're on. She has sparked the reader's interest in the plot without them even realizing it.
    Maybe I'm over thinking it and misinterpreting her intentions entirely, but there might be something to that.
    The plot of the story revolves around the slowing of the Earth, a possible future for our planet in the eyes of science. Naturally, human beings are curious about what the future might hold, so this type of story is bound to draw an audience. An audience full of people interested in the idea of the Earth's slowing rotation and how this might affect their daily lives.
    Last but not least, point of view. For me, point of view played a big role in my interpretation of the story. Julia, the main character, tells this story later in life as she is looking back on when 'the slowing', as Walker refers to it, first began. It has a profound affect on the development of Julia's character because you see how she has grown through the years by revealing how she saw things in the beginning, and her change in perspective looking back on it.
    Julia originally believed that the problems she and her family face throughout the novel are separate from the slowing, but now realizes that it was the root of all the situations she dealt with.
    I recommend this book to those of you who fit under the category of "people interested in the idea of the Earth's slowing rotation and how this might affect their daily lives". Enjoy.