Tumble & Fall

“How do you think about the end of the world? Where do you file it away?” An asteroid will strike Earth in a week, potentially ending all human life. Like everyone else, three teens on Martha’s Vineyard have trouble processing the news, but they live what could be their last few days as best they can. Loner Caden, having been abruptly kidnapped by his long-absent father, develops a crush on a woman he thinks is his dad’s girlfriend. Sienna, just released from a psychiatric hospital, meets her dad’s fiancé and reconnects with an old neighbor. Zan travels to Boston with the best friend of her deceased boyfriend to try to solve the mystery of his death. With a weighty, appropriately foreboding writing style, Coutts captures what happens when the worst is inevitable, painting a candid and emotional picture of a pre-apocalyptic America. In the asteroid’s shadow, every day, decision, conversation, and kiss is precious. Richly developed characters and a tight-knit island setting characterize this impressive novel, made more so by a restrained ending that resists sensationalism: neighbors forgive one another; a wedding takes place on a beach; a community stands together in solidarity, facing an uncertain future with bravery and love. rachel l. smith