Life As We Knew It is a young adult science fiction novel by American author Susan Beth Pfeffer, first published in 2006 by Harcourt Books. It is the first book in The Last Survivors series, followed by The Dead and the Gone. When an asteroid hits the moon and brings it closer to Earth, life in Northeastern Pennsylvania will never be the same again for Miranda and her family. The lack of food and extreme cold provides major threats to their survival.
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| Author | Susan Beth Pfeffer |
|---|---|
| Series | Life As We Knew It |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Harcourt Children's Books |
Publication date | October 1, 2006 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 333 pgs |
| ISBN | 0-15-205826-5 (first edition, hardcover) |
| OCLC | 63705625 |
| LC Class | PZ7.P44855 Lif 2004 |
| Followed by | The Dead and the Gone This World We Live In The Shade of the Moon |
Synopsis
The book portrays 16-year-old Miranda, living a normal life in Pennsylvania with her mother and brothers. Her biggest worries are her grades and her conflicted feelings about becoming a godmother to her soon-to-be-born half-sibling, who is expected by her father and his second wife Lisa. Soon, the news becomes focused on one subject: an asteroid predicted to hit the moon. People are excited about the opportunity to witness the event, and on the night of the impact, Miranda and her family go outside to witness it. However, the asteroid was denser than expected by scientists, and immediately after impact, it becomes apparent that something is wrong. The moon has been pushed closer to the Earth by the impact, which causes a change in the Earth's gravitational pull.
Life on earth is shattered, as is Miranda's life. Tsunamis and earthquakes ravage the coasts of many countries, causing millions of deaths. Chaos erupts and Miranda and her family go shopping for food, water, and supplies before the stores are emptied. Miranda's older brother Matt comes home from college. Living inland, they are safe from tsunamis, but as the summer goes on, another threat looms; the moon's shift causes magma to be forced up to the surface, resulting in many dormant volcanoes erupting, which cover the sky in ash, causing the temperature to drop dramatically (enough for frost to appear by mid-August and for 20-degree weather by October), making it impossible for food to grow. As things become harsher for the family, they start eating less to conserve food. Laura stops eating and makes other sacrifices to give Jon, who Miranda is convinced Laura considers to be the strongest of her children, a chance of survival. This is often a source of resentment that causes conflict between Miranda and her mother.
Winter is an especially hard time. With little food, the family must also deal with snow, a lack of running water, and no natural gas or electricity. A serious influenza infection spreads through town, killing hundreds of people, including Peter; Miranda is spared, and nurses her mother and brothers back to health. As the family become more and more isolated, with nearly everyone else is either leaving town or dying, they continue to fight for survival. As the family's food supply comes very close to running out, Miranda ventures into town. She tells herself that it is to see whether there has been a letter from her father and Lisa, though in her heart she knows that she is dying of starvation and her intention is to die away from her home, where her mother will not have to see it. When Miranda finds the post office abandoned, and as she is about to lie down and let the cold kill her, she sees a yellow piece of paper that attracts her gaze. The paper leads her to the town hall, where, to her shock, she discovers the mayor is giving out bags of food; there are few takers, as many people are dead and even more have no way of knowing about the program. The family is given four bags of food and promised more to come in the following weeks. With a new reason to hope, Miranda muses on her seventeenth birthday about why she is still keeping a diary: for the people who might read it in the future, or for herself.
Characters
Miranda Evans: A 16-year-old girl. The novel's point of view is her diary entries. She has two brothers, one of whom she is jealous of, and the other she idolizes, but she cares greatly for both of them. Her favorite hobby used to be ice skating, but prior to the book's events, she suffered an ankle injury, forcing her to switch to swimming. She still has a passion for ice skating, idolizing Brandon Erlich, a famous skater from her town. Later on in the novel, she is the only one of her family to not contract a life-threatening strain of flu and nurses them through it.
Matt Evans: Miranda's 19-year-old brother who provides for the family, collecting firewood and doing manual labor. He is looked up to by his mother and siblings (Miranda "cares desperately what he thinks of her", despite denying it). Matt was studying at college before returning to his family after the event.
Jonathan "Jonny" Evans: Miranda's 13-year-old brother who has a passion for baseball. The family considers him to be the most likely to survive, but Jonny is scared of living without the rest of his family, and uncomfortable that he eats more than the others do.
Laura Evans: Miranda's mother, a writer. She puts her family's lives ahead of her own, starving herself so her children can have more to eat. She dates Peter during the novel. Later in the book, she sprains her ankle twice, immobilizing her.
Megan Wayne: Miranda's devoutly Christian friend. She used to be carefree before she went to church, an interest that began when their mutual friend Becky died. She begins to starve herself with the encouragement of her pastor, who tells the congregation that God is punishing the human race for their sins.
Sammi: One of Miranda's friends, who is boy crazy. She had been with numerous boys and fights with Megan, who believes that she leads an immoral life. Sammi leaves town with a man who she believes will provide her with protection.
George: Sammi's 40-year-old boyfriend, with whom she moves to Nashville.
Becky: Miranda's friend whom she constantly dreams about. She died before the book begins. She was "like the glue" between Miranda, Megan, and Sammi, and when she died, they began to separate.
Mrs. Wayne: Megan's mother. She worries that her daughter is starving herself, as she does not share Megan's religious beliefs.
Hal/Dad: Miranda's father. He is separated from her mother and married to Lisa, who is pregnant with Miranda's soon-to-be goddaughter. He cares for his children very much, bringing them food when they stop in on their way West.
Lisa: Miranda's pregnant stepmother, whose child Miranda will be godmother to.
Peter Elliot: Laura's boyfriend, a doctor. He works throughout the events, and visits several times, sometimes bringing food and giving medical advice. He dies from flu and exhaustion.
Dan: a boy on Miranda's swim team, with whom she begins to swim in the local pond, Miller's Pond, after their local indoor pool is closed. They have a short-lived romance before Dan leaves in search of a better place to live.
Horton: The beloved family cat, who is particularly close to Jonny.
Brandon Erlich: an ice skater from their town who is training for the Olympics. He is idolized by skaters worldwide. He has a fan-site dedicated to him, which Miranda visits frequently before the event. One day she surprisingly meets him at a frozen lake, where they talk and skate. Although she returns to the lake, she never sees him again. It is assumed he died or left Howell, although their meeting may have been all in Miranda's imagination.
Mrs. Nesbitt: an elderly woman who is like family to the Evanses, having cared for Miranda's mother when she was a child. She passes away during the novel, leaving all of her food, water, and belongings to Miranda's family.
Reverend Marshall: The pastor at Megan's church. By telling his congregation that God will sustain them, and behaving in a falsely caring manner, he ensures that they bring him food by way of thanks. This means that he has much more to eat than most people, something which greatly enrages Miranda.
Mayor Ford and Tom Danworth: The local mayor and another city employee. They appear at the very end of the book, having organised a food distribution system.
Reception
Kirkus Reviews said that "death is a constant threat, and Pfeffer instills despair right to the end but is cognizant to provide a ray of hope with a promising conclusion. Plausible science fiction with a frighteningly realistic reminder of recent tragedies here and abroad."[1] Ilene Cooper said in her review for Booklist that "each page is filled with events both wearying and terrifying and infused with honest emotions. Pfeffer bring's cataclysmic tragedy very close."[2]
Awards
Pfeffer's book was named Young Adult Library Services Association's Best Books for Young Adults in 2007, and shortlisted for the Andre Norton Award for Outstanding Science Fiction or Fantasy Book of 2007. In addition, it won the Booklist Editor's Choice Award for Books for Youth (Older Reader's Category) in 2006.[3] It was nominated for the 2009 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award and won the Truman Readers Award of 2009.[4]
References
- ^ "LIFE AS WE KNEW IT". Kirkus Reviews. 74 (18): 963. September 15, 2006. ISSN 0042-6598.
- ^ Cooper, Ilene (September 1, 2006). "Life as We Knew It". Booklist. 103 (1): 127. ISSN 0006-7385.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-12-11. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Truman Readers Award".