by Emma Pattee
First published 2025
Annie is nine months pregnant, browsing cribs at IKEA, when a massive earthquake destroys Portland. Her phone is dead. She has no money. Her husband is unreachable. The city lies in ruins around her. She starts walking home through the wreckage. Along the way, Annie encounters desperate people looting a grocery store and strangers who offer unexpected help. She befriends a young mother also trying to survive the disaster. Each step forces Annie to confront the mess she has made of her life. Her marriage is falling apart. Her career has stalled. The thought of raising a baby terrifies her. The destroyed city mirrors her own broken state. But as she pushes forward through the chaos, Annie discovers something she didn't expect. If she can reach home safely, she might finally find the courage to rebuild everything.
Genres: survival, literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, contemporary, adult, adult-fiction
Vibes: emotionally-raw, gritty, intense, introspective, thought-provoking, transformative
Tropes: found-family, internal-journey, self-reflection, survival-against-odds
Setting: Portland, IKEA
Period: 21st-century, contemporary
240 pages · Paperback · Scribner
Content warnings: anxiety, death