Tilt

"Home so close, it beckons like a siren call." ~ pg. 161

A massive earthquake hits when Annie, who is nine months pregnant, is shopping alone at IKEA for a crib. With no way to reach her husband and a city in chaos, she realizes there is nothing to do but walk home. As she walks, she encounters strangers helping strangers, a grocery store riot, kindness, rudeness and hope. She uses the walking time to reflect on her marriage, career and anxiety of becoming a mom.

It took me quite a while to write this review of Tilt. I wasn't sure how to rate it based on the content and abrupt ending. The story did not have a lasting effect other than its incomplete ending that was unnecessarily left open-ended. I even double-checked the page count to be sure I was not missing an ending chapter. And once I finished the story, I wondered whether the author's intention came across to readers. Was there a lesson to be learned? Was it a happy ever after? Or was it simply storytelling set in the course of one day? If so, Tilt is satisfyingly okay and fits into the genre I call Reflection Fiction.

Happy Early Pub Day, Emma Pattee! Tilt will be available Tuesday, March 25.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Tilt
Author: Emma Pattee
Published: March 2025
Pages: 240
Edition: Galley
Genre: Reflection Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤