The Dead and the Gone (review)

This companion novel to Life As We Knew It (BCCB 12/06) treats the same global disaster, caused by an asteroid hitting the moon, but this time the focus is on New York City instead of rural Pennsylvania. There seventeen-year-old Alex must adjust quickly to being the sole guardian for his two younger sisters when neither of his parents returns home after the initial chaos caused by the impact. Although semblances of normalcy remain in the form of school and some social services, there are few comforts and no luxuries in this new world where even one meal a day isn't guaranteed, and stealing items from dead bodies in the road becomes a necessity. Tucked within the survival drama is a quietly effective coming-of-age subplot, as Alex weathers great loss and small successes with increasing grace. Unfortunately, the dialogue is stodgy and exposition laden, and most of the characters surrounding Alex serve as two-dimensional foils for his actions rather than engaging individuals on their own. In spite of the flaws, the author's reexamination of the same destruction through new characters in a new location is clever and fresh, and although this novel would work as a standalone read, it could also spark an intriguing exercise in simultaneous reading.