Tent City

by Amy L. Bernstein

Does the end of prosperity start at home?

A striving family. A collapsing economy. A tragic death. In Tent City, everyone must confront their demons in the struggle to survive.

Tent City is a contemporary dystopian family saga that places ordinary citizens in extraordinary circumstances, precipitated by dire economic disruption. As the American town of Willing crumbles under a collapsing economy, hundreds seek refuge in the dense "city" of tents that spring up in the Kings' big backyard, setting the once-thriving King family on a collision course with disillusionment, disaster, and for some, a new and hopeful beginning. This family saga revolves around trust and betrayal, love and loyalty, and the will to survive the breakdown of the American Dream.

Genres: Fiction

264 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2026

About the author

Amy L. Bernstein writes award-winning fiction and nonfiction, with a particular interest in the power of dystopian literature to stretch the boundaries of realism by using imagined futures to interrogate the truths we live with now. Amy brings a compassionate and insightful voice to the challenges and joys of the artistic process at writers' conferences around the U.S. She is the author of five previous novels and a nonfiction book of inspiration for creatives. A former journalist, Amy also works as a book coach, helping nonfiction authors craft compelling book proposals. She welcomes followers to her weekly Substack, where she amplifies the joys and challenges of the creative life.

When not glued to a screen, she loves listening to jazz and classical music, drinking wine with friends, and exploring Baltimore, Maryland's glorious neighborhoods, which inspire her fiction.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy L. Bernstein’s Tent City is a bold, unflinching contemporary dystopian family saga that places ordinary citizens in extraordinary circumstances. Set against the backdrop of a collapsing American economy, the novel follows the King family as their once thriving town of Willing crumbles around them. When hundreds of displaced citizens seek refuge in the dense tent city that springs up in the Kings’ own backyard, the family is thrust onto a collision course with disillusionment, disaster, and the painful unraveling of everything they once believed about prosperity, security, and the American Dream.

What distinguishes this novel is its masterful blend of intimate family drama with sweeping societal collapse. Bernstein writes with a keen eye for emotional truth each character is rendered with complexity and care, from those clinging to fading privilege to those fighting for survival in the tents just beyond the Kings’ door. The prose is sharp and immersive, balancing moments of quiet reflection with escalating tension that keeps the pages turning. Beneath the dystopian surface lies a profound exploration of trust and betrayal, love and loyalty, and the moral compromises we make when everything we’ve built begins to fall apart.

At its core, Tent City is a story about what happens when the structures we rely on economic, social, familial fail us. Bernstein asks difficult questions without offering easy answers, and the result is a novel that feels both timely and timeless. The ending, which gestures toward a new and hopeful beginning without erasing the weight of all that came before, is handled with nuance and restraint.

Unflinching, deeply human, and hauntingly relevant, Tent City is a powerful work of speculative fiction that will resonate with readers who appreciate stories about resilience, moral complexity, and the fragile nature of the world we take for granted. Highly recommended.

[Joan Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Tent City, Amy L. Bernstein delivers a chillingly perceptive look at how quickly the line between economic safety and essential survival can vanish. Set in the crumbling town of Willing, the irony is sharp: Sylvia, a realtor, and Carson, a builder, are architects of the “good life” who suddenly find themselves presiding over hundreds of tents in their own backyard. Their tragic flaw is a profound self-deception—the belief that they can outrun a national collapse through sheer will and a sense of superiority.
What makes this novel stand out is its refusal to sugar-coat the human cost. It’s not just about lost bank accounts; it’s about the breakdown of trust and the blind spots people develop in a crisis. The parents' denial is matched only by the extreme, dangerous paths taken by their teenage twins—Jeannie’s distorted social justice struggles and Zeke’s descent into a dark underground. It’s a haunting lesson in the cost of looking away. Captivating, horrifying, and incredibly timely—I highly recommend this for anyone who likes their fiction with a sharp, truthful edge.

[Maryka Biaggio · Rating 5 out of 5]

The town of Willing is modern, home to ordinary Americans living as they’ve done for decades—raising children, making a living at various and sundry jobs, chasing the dream of betterment. But change is in the air, and businesses are slowly but surely going under. And we see the impact of the economic downturn through the lives of a cross-section of the town—a realtor, construction company partners, a grocery store check-out clerk, an idealistic high school girl, a Mexican immigrant who has launched a medical supply company, and many other ordinary citizens. What will they do when hard luck hits? Tent City provides an unflinching portrait of a community in decline, a story told with insight, empathy, and tenacity.