Tilt

We follow a very pregnant woman during a single day as she tries to survive in Portland, Ore. after a massive earthquake hits. She crib shopping in IKEA when it hits and spends the rest of the book trying to find her husband and get home. The chapters in the present work better than the flashbacks explaining their tepid relationship, but it kept me interested through out. I felt like I was with her, aching feet, unquenchable thirst, and desperation.

*****SPOILERS***********
I know some hate the ending, but I actually loved it. For me, it's not really about her finding her husband, it's about her transition into motherhood. The ending felt right.

“Lately, time seems to move like that, like as soon as I get my hand firmly around a moment, show more it has turned to dust and there’s a new moment to try and grasp.” show less

I loved this novel for its brevity and for the startling appearance of The Big One, the impending Cascadia earthquake. And also for the Portland couple, Annie and Dom, a failed playwright and a failed actor, a week or so away from becoming first-time parents. The chapters alternate between Annie's internal discussions and lookbacks with Bean, the baby inside her, on her marital journey; and her horror at the ravages of the earthquake and encounters with others who survived, and with those who didn't. Commencing with an ill-fated quest to pile on more credit card debt for an overpriced crib at Ikea, and ending in Bean's arrival, this is a touching and slyly humorous commentary on both ordinary and extraordinary disasters.

Annie is 9 months pregnant with her first child and in somewhat of a rush to prepare. Specifically, she needs to buy a crib and makes a trip to IKEA. Suddenly, a severe earthquake strikes and Annie has to dig herself out of the rubble, losing her phone and purse in the process. She desperately wants to find her husband Dom, who works in a cafe, and joins the crowd of displaced people.

As Annie slowly makes her way across the city on foot, she carries on a conversation with her child while reflecting on life events: her mother has passed away, her relationship with Dom is fragile, and both of them have been unsuccessful in their chosen career paths: Annie as a playwright and Dom as an actor. Her ability to find Dom is threatened by show more damaged infrastructure, crowd behavior, and aftershocks.

This slim novel was loaded with suspense and I couldn’t put it down. The ending wasn’t quite what I expected, but on reflection strikes me as absolutely perfect. show less

Tilt by Emma Pattee is a highly recommended literary survival story that takes place over the course of one day.

Annie, 35, is pregnant, 37 weeks along, and shopping for a crib at IKEA when a major earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. She is rescued from the debris by Taylor, a salesperson she had just lost her temper with, and they make their way outside the store. She sets out without her purse or phone amid the confusion and chaos to walk to her husband Dom's workplace. While walking she talks to her unborn baby, nicknamed "Bean" and reflects on her past, meeting her husband, conversations with her mother. All this while she makes her way through devastating destruction in an increasingly dangerous city.

Tilt is an impressive, show more well-written debut novel that covers the hopefulness, disappointments, and struggles found in self sacrifice, marriage, and impending motherhood, along with the self doubts all while the character is seeking safety and survival. The narrative switches between Annie's memories of the past and her navigation through the current catastrophe. Her internal monologue to to Bean continues throughout her trek in search of safety and her husband. The setting feels realistic and the trauma of the crisis increases with each step her swollen feet take.

Annie is depicted as a realistic character amidst an unimaginable situation. While she isn't always likable and doesn't always act in a logical manner, it is clear that she is doing the best she can through the disaster. As she shares her reflection with Bean, her bond grows strong.

I do love the cover of the book. This is a very quick read and resembles another novel where a woman is traveling through a disaster. The ending was disappointing in the lack of closure but it was also somewhat expected. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/02/tilt.html show less

I avoided this one for a while, because pregnancy is just too real to deal with most of the time for me. This really feels like the earth quake/upheaval is a metaphor for how pregnancy turns your life upside down. It is ironically very grounded, with the main character thinking very real thoughts and having very real reactions to what are very plausible situations.

Won a finished, hardback copy of this book in a StoryGraph giveaway! While the plot was clear and present throughout the narrative and provided a solid structure for this dystopian story, I think the sentence-by-sentence and page-by-page writing is what really shined for me. I couldn’t get enough of Emma’s writing; she somehow made the mundane lovely and special, and everything sounded lyrical—even the harsh aspects of pregnancy and the reality of Annie’s world after the earthquake, particularly without the story sounding too literary or intangible. As a PNW resident who lived in Portland for several years myself, I really enjoyed the setting and reading about places that I’m familiar with. Not a life-changing novel, but one show more I’m glad I read and that makes me want to read more of the author’s work! show less

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC. This novel follow Annie, a millenial who is 9 months pregnant and in Ikea when a disasterous earthquake hits. The story follows Annie during the span of a day as she walks her way across town to find her husband. During this time she reflects on her past and speaks internally to her unborn infant. Annie's husband, Dom, does sound annoying. He sounds as though he is irresponsible and a little self centered so reading about him just made me annoyed. When Annie is at the school helping her friend look for her daughter I felt physically nauseous. Emma Pattee did an incredible job capturing the heartbreak of possibly losing your child. Tilt is for everyone in their late 20's-30, letting you know that show more you're not the only one who is stuck second guessing their life choices. The story ends in a way that feels as though not all lose ends are tied, but I do understand the reasoning behind this. Overall this was a great read. show less