What readers think of Tilt, plus links to write your own review.

Tilt by Emma Pattee

A pregnant overwhelmed woman’s epic journey across a ravaged city with the weight of her past and her hopes for the future.

Narration by Ariel Blake was very well done for this rapid paced literary thriller debut. An impressive read set over the course of a day, in Portland, Oregon, where a massive earthquake has rocked the city. Annie, nine months pregnant, out shopping, must now try and survive and protect her little “bean” trying to get back home to her husband. Annie encounters the human desperation and kindness of others; reflecting on her marriage, career, the anxieties of becoming a mother, and how to pursue your dreams and deal with your disappointments.

I thought this was written beautifully and I was impressed by this dynamic debut. For a 240 page novel, it has a powerful impact. I’m eagerly awaiting her next book already.

Pattee's novel is one of those read straight through in one sitting book. Actually, this book is one of those where you have to physically restrain yourself from reading the last few pages to find out what happens! Tilt tells the store of one day in the life of Annie, who is 37 weeks pregnant and at IKEA alone buying a crib when a massive earthquake hits Oregon.

As Annie tries to walk home through the destruction to get back her partner, her interior monologue is a frantic, ripped from the headlines searing indictment of climate change, the staggering cost of American healthcare and dental care, the pregnancy industrial complex, urban real estate prices, and the futility of making art in a broken world. In a taut 240 pages Pattee accomplishes so much. What a debut! What a voice!