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The Things That Keep Us Here
Everything seems quiet on Ann Brooks's suburban cul-de-sac. Despite her impending divorce, she's created a happy home and her daughters are adjusting to the change. She feels lucky to be in a supportive community and confident that she can handle any other hardship that life may throw her way. But then, right before Thanksgiving, a crisis strikes that turns everybody's world upside down. Suddenly her estranged husband is forced back onto her doorstep, bringing with him his beautiful graduate assistant. Trapped inside the house she once called home, confronted by challenges she never could have imagined, Ann must make life-or-death decisions in an environment where the simple act of opening a door to a neighbor could jeopardize all she holds dear.
The choices she makes will impact the lives of those around her irrevocably and linger in the reader's memory in this marvelous first novel, written with authority, grace, and wisdom.
The choices she makes will impact the lives of those around her irrevocably and linger in the reader's memory in this marvelous first novel, written with authority, grace, and wisdom.
417 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 9, 2010
365 people are currently reading
4864 people want to read
About the author
Carla Buckley
16 books731 followersCarla Buckley is the internationally bestselling author of The Good Goodbye, The Deepest Secret, Invisible, and The Things That Keep Us Here, which was nominated for a Thriller Award as a best first novel and the Ohioana Book Award for fiction. She is a graduate of Oberlin College and the Wharton School of Business, and currently lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She serves on the board of the International Thriller Writers as Vice President, Awards and is at work on her next novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 838 reviews
July 24, 2016
The Things That Keep Us Here explores what would happen to an average American family in the event of a worldwide pandemic and, in capturing the rapidly deteriorating conditions, the perpetual paranoia, and the tedium of isolation while cut off from all forms of communication, it largely succeeds. For days after reading it, I found myself making mental checklists. Do we have enough candles? Check. Do we have enough canned goods? Check. Do we have enough hand sanitizer? Check. Do we have enough paper books to wait out the pandemic? F'ing A, check. As a germaphobe, I started washing my hands like I was scrubbing in for surgery and wiping down the shopping cart with an attention to detail that has the Wal-Mart door greeter eyeing me with both suspicion and sympathy. During the "peace be with you" handshake at church, all I can think of is "flu be with you," "flu be with you." This book has not been good for my psyche.
But is it a good book? I guess the best way to answer that is with the time-tested pros and cons list!
What I Liked
*For the most part, Buckley creates believable characters and family relationships. The growing tension between the daughters, between the parents, between the parents and the daughters as day after day passes in boredom and as life regresses to a focus on the basics of survival is realistically portrayed.
*The rapid breakdown of city, state and national services is thought provoking. I think many people wonder if they personally are prepared for such a disaster, but what about the institutions (government and commercial) we rely on daily? After all, we've seen the response to events like Katrina. What if we faced a pandemic that wiped out nearly half of the country's population? That's some pretty chilling stuff.
*Ann's response to taking in a possibly infected baby and putting her own children at risk presents the moral dilemmas one would likely face in such an event. At what point does caring for one's own family trump one's compassion for others?
*Unlike many pandemic thrillers, it doesn't focus on the science and the race to find a vaccine. Seeing a real family cope felt like a new twist for the genre.
What I Did Not Like
*While Buckley does realistically capture the minutiae of daily life in such a scenario, I'd be lying if I said it always made for riveting reading. A good portion of the book reads like one really long snow break. Also, Buckley's writing is serviceable, but a stylist she is not.
*Much of the book is contrived in a way that is unnecessary. When the book begins, Ann and Peter Brooks have been separated for a year. We learn (very early on--this isn't spoiler territory) their marriage has become increasingly unhappy after the death of their infant son. Of course, the pandemic brings Peter back home. This smacks of Hallmark Hall of Fame "will disaster bring them back together again?" territory. When Peter arrives, he has a beautiful young foreign exchange student, Shazia, in tow. Ann is forced to wonder whether or not this is Peter's new lover, but graciously allows Shazia to stay with her newly reconstituted family. Buckley was probably angling for a subplot that would help move the story forward since writing about realistic day to day life (keeping the house warm, keeping the kids fed, keeping the laundry done, etc.) could become monotonous. However, these forced relationship dynamics are distracting and drain away some of the tension and suspense.
*Also distracting is the constant veiled references to what happened to their baby. The story of how and why the child died is purposely withheld for no clear reason other than to give a "surprise" twist at the end that didn't contribute to the family's experience during the pandemic and lacked any kind of emotional payoff.
*Peter is a virologist. Why? Other than finding a flock of dead birds in the beginning and occasionally checking in with his colleagues whenever the power comes back on to read up on whether or not a vaccine is available, his job has no bearing on the outcome of the novel. It particularly bothered me that someone whose job is to study viruses would make one of the most ridiculous decisions in the novel.
In the end, it's fair to say that this is just an okay book. While The Things That Keep Us Here certainly causes some reflection and brings a human element to the often statistical hypotheticals about the impact of a pandemic, honestly, a newspaper or magazine article about this subject triggers the same level of fear and unease within me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've typed the word "pandemic" so many times that I have an overwhelming urge to go wash my hands.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
But is it a good book? I guess the best way to answer that is with the time-tested pros and cons list!
What I Liked
*For the most part, Buckley creates believable characters and family relationships. The growing tension between the daughters, between the parents, between the parents and the daughters as day after day passes in boredom and as life regresses to a focus on the basics of survival is realistically portrayed.
*The rapid breakdown of city, state and national services is thought provoking. I think many people wonder if they personally are prepared for such a disaster, but what about the institutions (government and commercial) we rely on daily? After all, we've seen the response to events like Katrina. What if we faced a pandemic that wiped out nearly half of the country's population? That's some pretty chilling stuff.
*Ann's response to taking in a possibly infected baby and putting her own children at risk presents the moral dilemmas one would likely face in such an event. At what point does caring for one's own family trump one's compassion for others?
*Unlike many pandemic thrillers, it doesn't focus on the science and the race to find a vaccine. Seeing a real family cope felt like a new twist for the genre.
What I Did Not Like
*While Buckley does realistically capture the minutiae of daily life in such a scenario, I'd be lying if I said it always made for riveting reading. A good portion of the book reads like one really long snow break. Also, Buckley's writing is serviceable, but a stylist she is not.
*Much of the book is contrived in a way that is unnecessary. When the book begins, Ann and Peter Brooks have been separated for a year. We learn (very early on--this isn't spoiler territory) their marriage has become increasingly unhappy after the death of their infant son. Of course, the pandemic brings Peter back home. This smacks of Hallmark Hall of Fame "will disaster bring them back together again?" territory. When Peter arrives, he has a beautiful young foreign exchange student, Shazia, in tow. Ann is forced to wonder whether or not this is Peter's new lover, but graciously allows Shazia to stay with her newly reconstituted family. Buckley was probably angling for a subplot that would help move the story forward since writing about realistic day to day life (keeping the house warm, keeping the kids fed, keeping the laundry done, etc.) could become monotonous. However, these forced relationship dynamics are distracting and drain away some of the tension and suspense.
*Also distracting is the constant veiled references to what happened to their baby. The story of how and why the child died is purposely withheld for no clear reason other than to give a "surprise" twist at the end that didn't contribute to the family's experience during the pandemic and lacked any kind of emotional payoff.
*Peter is a virologist. Why? Other than finding a flock of dead birds in the beginning and occasionally checking in with his colleagues whenever the power comes back on to read up on whether or not a vaccine is available, his job has no bearing on the outcome of the novel. It particularly bothered me that someone whose job is to study viruses would make one of the most ridiculous decisions in the novel.
In the end, it's fair to say that this is just an okay book. While The Things That Keep Us Here certainly causes some reflection and brings a human element to the often statistical hypotheticals about the impact of a pandemic, honestly, a newspaper or magazine article about this subject triggers the same level of fear and unease within me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've typed the word "pandemic" so many times that I have an overwhelming urge to go wash my hands.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
February 23, 2013
A couple of people recommended this one to me.
With my penchant for apocalyptic fiction, I went along.
O.k. Where to start?
First of all, for more than half of the novel, I thought that this was a young adult book as it was written down to such a level. I thought that it was o.k. as a YA novel though I had read better. I was absolutely shocked that it was intended for adult readers.
My mother always said that I should have something nice to say. So, I will say that this is a quick read.
In many ways, that is the only positive thing that I can say.
From here on, SPOILERS will be mixed in. Just so you are warned.
The overall plot can be guessed by anyone not on life support by around the fifth chapter. The love story portion reads like a twelve year old boy who has been trapped in a bubble for his whole life. Awful, awful, awful. It is entirely empty prose - empty of any real emotion and empty of any real reason. Honestly, this is the kind of narrative you would show to most people and (if honest) they would just ask you where the characters' reasoning and motivations lie because they certainly aren't apparent or realistic in the manuscript that we are given.
Honestly, the "romance" is so ridiculous and manufactured that it makes me ticked off. Do people really want to read a story where one thing happens to people that tears them apart with no real reason beyond the absolutely banal and then they inexplicably stay apart but without meeting other people and then nothing happens to bring them back together but suddenly they have sex in the laundry room and the best part of it is that then the man dies? If so, this novel rocks. Amen. We're all so vapid that we only want one dimension to any story. Oh, and the grad student? Was anyone fooled? I have a hard time believing that anyone - anyone at all - believed that Peter and Shazia had anything at all together. Dear author: Foreshadowing does not equal a hammer over the head.
So, let's just say I'm a bitter guy and go on to other elements of the story.
Plot holes? Why did the "mom and pop" store owner have his store open alone without any weapon to defend himself while riots were taking place across the country - and as far as that goes, why would money even matter at that point? Why did Peter not go into the survivalist's house as soon as he realized he was dead and they needed food? Why did Peter never ask Shazia about the missing sample when it was said over and over and over how careful he was in his research? How does the potency of the virus suddenly diminish when it comes to (puke) love? Why was the cabin with its self-sustaining food resource (fishing equipment +lake) not mentioned at all before? Why was there no way of defending themselves until suddenly there was a shotgun in the closet? Why was the absolutely silly reasoning for the loss of William left until the ridiculously empty last pages of the book?
Seriously? This book was false emotional swiss cheese.
I was wrong with my initial assessment. Young adult fiction is much much much better than this absolutely awful crap. I don't consider myself to be a tyrant but this story is the very definition of trite bullshit. If anything, it is the elementary school happy ending version of a pandemic.
With my penchant for apocalyptic fiction, I went along.
O.k. Where to start?
First of all, for more than half of the novel, I thought that this was a young adult book as it was written down to such a level. I thought that it was o.k. as a YA novel though I had read better. I was absolutely shocked that it was intended for adult readers.
My mother always said that I should have something nice to say. So, I will say that this is a quick read.
In many ways, that is the only positive thing that I can say.
From here on, SPOILERS will be mixed in. Just so you are warned.
The overall plot can be guessed by anyone not on life support by around the fifth chapter. The love story portion reads like a twelve year old boy who has been trapped in a bubble for his whole life. Awful, awful, awful. It is entirely empty prose - empty of any real emotion and empty of any real reason. Honestly, this is the kind of narrative you would show to most people and (if honest) they would just ask you where the characters' reasoning and motivations lie because they certainly aren't apparent or realistic in the manuscript that we are given.
Honestly, the "romance" is so ridiculous and manufactured that it makes me ticked off. Do people really want to read a story where one thing happens to people that tears them apart with no real reason beyond the absolutely banal and then they inexplicably stay apart but without meeting other people and then nothing happens to bring them back together but suddenly they have sex in the laundry room and the best part of it is that then the man dies? If so, this novel rocks. Amen. We're all so vapid that we only want one dimension to any story. Oh, and the grad student? Was anyone fooled? I have a hard time believing that anyone - anyone at all - believed that Peter and Shazia had anything at all together. Dear author: Foreshadowing does not equal a hammer over the head.
So, let's just say I'm a bitter guy and go on to other elements of the story.
Plot holes? Why did the "mom and pop" store owner have his store open alone without any weapon to defend himself while riots were taking place across the country - and as far as that goes, why would money even matter at that point? Why did Peter not go into the survivalist's house as soon as he realized he was dead and they needed food? Why did Peter never ask Shazia about the missing sample when it was said over and over and over how careful he was in his research? How does the potency of the virus suddenly diminish when it comes to (puke) love? Why was the cabin with its self-sustaining food resource (fishing equipment +lake) not mentioned at all before? Why was there no way of defending themselves until suddenly there was a shotgun in the closet? Why was the absolutely silly reasoning for the loss of William left until the ridiculously empty last pages of the book?
Seriously? This book was false emotional swiss cheese.
I was wrong with my initial assessment. Young adult fiction is much much much better than this absolutely awful crap. I don't consider myself to be a tyrant but this story is the very definition of trite bullshit. If anything, it is the elementary school happy ending version of a pandemic.
September 12, 2015
This book was scare factor to the fullest for me. I work in healthcare and could so see this happening.
December 10, 2011
I didn't know what to expect with this book because the back cover only alludes to "life-or-death decisions." So, when I found out (within the first few pages) that the characters were facing a possible health scare similar to the 1918 flu pandemic, I was a little put-off. If this doesn't seem interesting, don't let it scare you away!
This was a fascinating book with descriptions of a normal family in a Columbus, Ohio-area neighborhood in the suburbs that could be any family in any neighborhood, in the suburbs of any city in the United States. Buckley forces her readers to ask themselves questions about what decisions they would make, what lengths they would go to in order to protect their children, and what really matters when life as we know it ceases to exist.
As a mother myself, Ann Brooks'(the protagonist), struggles seemed so real to me. As someone who actually lived in the DC suburbs, Greensboro, NC, and Dublin, Ohio (the three places in which Ann has lived), the descriptions of the environment were so familiar that the book was even that much more real.
I totally recommend this novel--it is one of those rare stories that will stay with you for a long time.
This was a fascinating book with descriptions of a normal family in a Columbus, Ohio-area neighborhood in the suburbs that could be any family in any neighborhood, in the suburbs of any city in the United States. Buckley forces her readers to ask themselves questions about what decisions they would make, what lengths they would go to in order to protect their children, and what really matters when life as we know it ceases to exist.
As a mother myself, Ann Brooks'(the protagonist), struggles seemed so real to me. As someone who actually lived in the DC suburbs, Greensboro, NC, and Dublin, Ohio (the three places in which Ann has lived), the descriptions of the environment were so familiar that the book was even that much more real.
I totally recommend this novel--it is one of those rare stories that will stay with you for a long time.
May 31, 2016
We never think it will happen in our lifetime -- a pandemic. This book is a clearly written journal-like view of how a pandemic affects two members of the same family: the mother and the father. Both are well aware of the bird flu epidemic, but their lives are so entwined in their work and their children, their loss and their love/dissolution of their marriage that the arrival of the pandemic kind of sneaks up on them. But then again, how can you really prepare?
Both of the main characters react differently to various circumstances in Columbus, Ohio. I love the human, down-to-earth writing that meant I could touch, feel and smell along with the characters as they were evolving through this situation (should be a better word; I'm not the writer obviously).
The author writes the story in both persons brilliantly. I actually started to read this at work and I cancelled an event to go home and finish the book -- I needed, NEEDED to find out what happened to the family members. Thank you, Ms. Buckley for giving me the Epilogue.
The book eloquently points out how humans react to disasters of epidemic proportions, and how some others rise to a new level of humanity despite all the issues surrounding them.
Until I relaxed this evening, I didn't get the title, and then it hit me. Won't relate as it would become a spoiler. Bravo, Ms. Buckley, amazing work.
One of the best books I've read this year, and I've read a lot.
Both of the main characters react differently to various circumstances in Columbus, Ohio. I love the human, down-to-earth writing that meant I could touch, feel and smell along with the characters as they were evolving through this situation (should be a better word; I'm not the writer obviously).
The author writes the story in both persons brilliantly. I actually started to read this at work and I cancelled an event to go home and finish the book -- I needed, NEEDED to find out what happened to the family members. Thank you, Ms. Buckley for giving me the Epilogue.
The book eloquently points out how humans react to disasters of epidemic proportions, and how some others rise to a new level of humanity despite all the issues surrounding them.
Until I relaxed this evening, I didn't get the title, and then it hit me. Won't relate as it would become a spoiler. Bravo, Ms. Buckley, amazing work.
One of the best books I've read this year, and I've read a lot.
November 3, 2016
Pros:
I thought that this book had good pacing. I typically am annoyed by books that share the point of view between various characters, but I thought that Buckley, by switching between Ann and Peter as narrators, was able to make the quarantine chapters (90% of the book) quite interesting and compelling, where otherwise they could have become extremely dull (months of sitting in your living room in the dark playing cards...that could get old fast)
I thought that the premise of the book was really interesting--an avian flu pandemic that kills millions of people and shuts down society, government, etc.
It brought up some really interesting moral points--what is selfish in a situation like that? Do you put your family first at the cost of helping others survive, or do you open up to others and risk exposing yourself and your children to a highly-contagious virus with a 50% mortality rate?
Cons:
The writing wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. It was pretty rough in spots, and there were quite a few cliches. Like the sayings that Peter's dad always used, for instance, and some other little phrases and terms that Buckley used.
There were several things that seemed highly unlikely. I didn't like the part with the little Korean girl. How would she have known that the virus was coming to Ohio? Why did the fact that her father died of the flu make her scared to leave the building when there was a fire? Why did she have that creepy "triumphant" look on her face when the school was initially closed because of the outbreak? Why did Maddie just happen to see her on a bus on the one day that the girls were allowed to leave the house. None of that made sense. It was just weird and creepy and seemed pretty unfair to a little immigrant orphan girl.
Other unlikely things--why didn't Ann get sick, after making out, etc., with Peter, when he got the virus from just a little cough? Why did Peter come in to the house as quickly as he did after being exposed? Just because a virus typically presents itself within 48 hours doesn't mean that it always will. He seriously walked back in and exposed his family after like 48 hours and 3 seconds. That was dumb to me. I'm just a stay-at-home mom, but even I know that diseases don't work as regularly as that. And even just the fact that he happened to get up and die at exactly the same time that Ann had to take the girls to the hospital.
I also felt that there was too much going on. Honestly, Shazia was a completely unnecessary character, in my opinion. The back story with Peter's dad maybe committing suicide (which never really made sense to me) and his mom's Alzheimer's', I felt that all of that just got in the way. Even the story about William--I don't think it was necessary to use that story as a sort of apology of why Ann was so protective of her daughters. I think that any mom might be like that in such a situation, whether or not she'd already lost a child. I do think that it was necessary to explain the estrangement between Ann and Peter, so I don't think it should have been left out altogether, but I felt like Buckley was trying to excuse some of Ann's decision during the pandemic, which I don't think was necessary. And the whole "surprise" about William's death and Kate's involvement at the end--I thought that was totally unnecessary and, to be quite frank, a little melodramatic as well.
Finally, I really disliked the ending of the story. Why did Kate burn all of her dad's papers? That really bugged me. Even if, as a daughter, she somehow memorized all of the information there, why would she want to preserve it? And as a scientist supposedly taking up her father's work, there is no way she would have destroyed the draft of the book he was working on. And then at the end, the way she Buckley inserted the title of the book into Kate's little soliloquy--that was too much. It didn't seem to fit into the context of what Kate was saying or thinking about, and it just was so contrived. I felt Buckly just really liked that phrase and wanted to use it as her title, but couldn't find any other way to get it into the book. Really, it doesn't seem to make sense as a title to the book in the first place, and while I think that it's a great title in general, it kind of bugs me now because of that.
Maybe I shouldn't have started with the pros--I feel like all the positive was completely overshadowed in my review by the negative. It really was a fairly decent book, and one that is in my head now.
I thought that this book had good pacing. I typically am annoyed by books that share the point of view between various characters, but I thought that Buckley, by switching between Ann and Peter as narrators, was able to make the quarantine chapters (90% of the book) quite interesting and compelling, where otherwise they could have become extremely dull (months of sitting in your living room in the dark playing cards...that could get old fast)
I thought that the premise of the book was really interesting--an avian flu pandemic that kills millions of people and shuts down society, government, etc.
It brought up some really interesting moral points--what is selfish in a situation like that? Do you put your family first at the cost of helping others survive, or do you open up to others and risk exposing yourself and your children to a highly-contagious virus with a 50% mortality rate?
Cons:
The writing wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. It was pretty rough in spots, and there were quite a few cliches. Like the sayings that Peter's dad always used, for instance, and some other little phrases and terms that Buckley used.
There were several things that seemed highly unlikely. I didn't like the part with the little Korean girl. How would she have known that the virus was coming to Ohio? Why did the fact that her father died of the flu make her scared to leave the building when there was a fire? Why did she have that creepy "triumphant" look on her face when the school was initially closed because of the outbreak? Why did Maddie just happen to see her on a bus on the one day that the girls were allowed to leave the house. None of that made sense. It was just weird and creepy and seemed pretty unfair to a little immigrant orphan girl.
Other unlikely things--why didn't Ann get sick, after making out, etc., with Peter, when he got the virus from just a little cough? Why did Peter come in to the house as quickly as he did after being exposed? Just because a virus typically presents itself within 48 hours doesn't mean that it always will. He seriously walked back in and exposed his family after like 48 hours and 3 seconds. That was dumb to me. I'm just a stay-at-home mom, but even I know that diseases don't work as regularly as that. And even just the fact that he happened to get up and die at exactly the same time that Ann had to take the girls to the hospital.
I also felt that there was too much going on. Honestly, Shazia was a completely unnecessary character, in my opinion. The back story with Peter's dad maybe committing suicide (which never really made sense to me) and his mom's Alzheimer's', I felt that all of that just got in the way. Even the story about William--I don't think it was necessary to use that story as a sort of apology of why Ann was so protective of her daughters. I think that any mom might be like that in such a situation, whether or not she'd already lost a child. I do think that it was necessary to explain the estrangement between Ann and Peter, so I don't think it should have been left out altogether, but I felt like Buckley was trying to excuse some of Ann's decision during the pandemic, which I don't think was necessary. And the whole "surprise" about William's death and Kate's involvement at the end--I thought that was totally unnecessary and, to be quite frank, a little melodramatic as well.
Finally, I really disliked the ending of the story. Why did Kate burn all of her dad's papers? That really bugged me. Even if, as a daughter, she somehow memorized all of the information there, why would she want to preserve it? And as a scientist supposedly taking up her father's work, there is no way she would have destroyed the draft of the book he was working on. And then at the end, the way she Buckley inserted the title of the book into Kate's little soliloquy--that was too much. It didn't seem to fit into the context of what Kate was saying or thinking about, and it just was so contrived. I felt Buckly just really liked that phrase and wanted to use it as her title, but couldn't find any other way to get it into the book. Really, it doesn't seem to make sense as a title to the book in the first place, and while I think that it's a great title in general, it kind of bugs me now because of that.
Maybe I shouldn't have started with the pros--I feel like all the positive was completely overshadowed in my review by the negative. It really was a fairly decent book, and one that is in my head now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. Was one that really had me asking a lot of "what if" questions to myself. I found I was also having many conversations with my family about pandemics etc. I would definitely recommend this book.
May 29, 2011
There are few better reading pleasures than meeting an author at a book festival, liking what you hear about her debut novel, and then reading it and having your socks knocked off. Buckley writes with the maturity and acumen of a far more experienced writer than she is. The plot, the characters, the setting are all seamless, moving through a story of devastation and loss with the ease of taking a breath and letting it out. And, oh, what a good story comes out! The imperfection of her characters give them a plausibility with which the reader can immediately identify. The influence of fear in our actions is given the place it only too naturally commands. A pandemic of avian flu has swept the world, and its impact on a family and neighborhood is terrifying, enveloping the reader into the terror. I will never view the large quantities of items at warehouse stores as unnecessary again, as I pray that the world will never have to experience a pandemic of the magnitude played out in this novel. Carla Buckley is a smart, engaging author who has a bright future ahead of her. Her next book will be a must buy for me.
July 8, 2010
What is it about apocalyptic/dystopian novels that make most people love them so much? I mean, they can't be good for the soul. Great books have the uncanny ability to make you feel as you're not merely observing what's happening, but rather you are right there experiencing everything that's happening. That happened with me and The Things That Keep Us Here (and a big chunk of other dystopian/apocalyptic novels I've read).
I was extremely distressed while reading The Things That Keep Us Here. It's just that when I'm reading a apocalyptic/dystopian novel, I can't help but think "What would I do in that situation? Would I help my more unfortunate neighbors? Or would it be every man (or woman) for himself (or herself)?" And that just gets me all sorts of depressed. However, I felt like this novel really took those issues and dealt with them in a realistic way. Not once did I think "No one would ever act that way" because as depressing as it may seem, in a situation like this most people would be looking out for themselves primarily. And humankind would also disintergrate in an unfortunate way.
Now when it comes to the characters, most of the time I found them likeable. However, there were times were they where I really couldn't stand them. But I think that was kind of the point. In an end-of-the-world type of situation, most people are going to be unlikeable. You're going to be worrying about survival and not about keeping up pretenses. Part of my distress came from caring about these characters. I felt for Ann, Peter, Kate, Maddie, Shazia, and even Barney (I'm a huge dog person). I suffered when they suffered. I was scared when they were scared (and boy were they scared a lot). There were lots of tears for me while reading The Things That Keep Us Here.
I've read a few reviews (including one in Publishers Weekly) that state that the book didn't make much of an impact because it was written in the third person. I didn't feel that way. In fact in dystopian and apocalytic novels, I would rather them not be written in the first person because that just makes it worse for me. One that I can recall that was written in first person and had a huge impact on me was Life as We Knew It. I felt absolutely terrible when I finished the book and to this day cannot recall a book or a movie that has made me cry that much (wait, I stand corrected, the last three Harry Potter books are exceptions). Seriously, I was a wreck. When I finished reading it, I cried for ten minutes straight. So, I don't think that the third person view made the book any less enjoyable (I think that's the wrong word. How about interesing?) than had it been written in the first person.
Anyway, I have to say that I completely recommend The Things That Keep Us Here. It was riveting (My God, was it riveting! I finished it in one sitting) and so completely real. Sure, it didn't make me feel all fluttery inside, but I don't think that's the point of apocalyptic/dystopian novels. I think we read them to experience what would happen, yet maintain a completely safe distance (unless of course you're reading Life As We Knew It and then realize there is no "safe" distance) from the depravity of the world.
I was extremely distressed while reading The Things That Keep Us Here. It's just that when I'm reading a apocalyptic/dystopian novel, I can't help but think "What would I do in that situation? Would I help my more unfortunate neighbors? Or would it be every man (or woman) for himself (or herself)?" And that just gets me all sorts of depressed. However, I felt like this novel really took those issues and dealt with them in a realistic way. Not once did I think "No one would ever act that way" because as depressing as it may seem, in a situation like this most people would be looking out for themselves primarily. And humankind would also disintergrate in an unfortunate way.
Now when it comes to the characters, most of the time I found them likeable. However, there were times were they where I really couldn't stand them. But I think that was kind of the point. In an end-of-the-world type of situation, most people are going to be unlikeable. You're going to be worrying about survival and not about keeping up pretenses. Part of my distress came from caring about these characters. I felt for Ann, Peter, Kate, Maddie, Shazia, and even Barney (I'm a huge dog person). I suffered when they suffered. I was scared when they were scared (and boy were they scared a lot). There were lots of tears for me while reading The Things That Keep Us Here.
I've read a few reviews (including one in Publishers Weekly) that state that the book didn't make much of an impact because it was written in the third person. I didn't feel that way. In fact in dystopian and apocalytic novels, I would rather them not be written in the first person because that just makes it worse for me. One that I can recall that was written in first person and had a huge impact on me was Life as We Knew It. I felt absolutely terrible when I finished the book and to this day cannot recall a book or a movie that has made me cry that much (wait, I stand corrected, the last three Harry Potter books are exceptions). Seriously, I was a wreck. When I finished reading it, I cried for ten minutes straight. So, I don't think that the third person view made the book any less enjoyable (I think that's the wrong word. How about interesing?) than had it been written in the first person.
Anyway, I have to say that I completely recommend The Things That Keep Us Here. It was riveting (My God, was it riveting! I finished it in one sitting) and so completely real. Sure, it didn't make me feel all fluttery inside, but I don't think that's the point of apocalyptic/dystopian novels. I think we read them to experience what would happen, yet maintain a completely safe distance (unless of course you're reading Life As We Knew It and then realize there is no "safe" distance) from the depravity of the world.
August 24, 2014
An enjoyable read for the most part, and it held my interest. I did find that it dragged a little through the middle but then picked up again.
Although I didn't care too much for the two main characters they were realistic and believable. I often found myself wondering what I'd do if it was me. And that was a really scary thought!
June 17, 2012
Possibly the best book I've read this year. If you loved "The Road", you will love this book. It's about how a family survives when there's a pandemic of bird flu. The main characters are Peter, Ann, Kate, and Maddie. The story never lulls, is always believable, and you really cannot put the book down. I have been reading it continuously since yesterday and have only taken breaks to sleep, eat, and use the loo. Now, that's a great book. You grow to feel like you know each character, and you care about them. The writer, Carla Buckley, carries you along with them. Books like his come along so rarely. I think the last work of contemporary fiction that completely consumed me this way was The Snow Child and before that, Edgar Sawtelle. I recommend all three books, of course. In The Things That Keep Us Here, Peter, the father/husband, is a research scientist. Ann is an artist. They have two daughters. Kate is pre-teen and quick-witted, brutally honest, instantly like-able even though she can be harsh at times and irritating in the way 11-year-old girls can be at the edge of puberty. Maddie is a sweet little ball of sunshine, aged 5. I don't want to give away too much. The deadly flu spreads and infrastructure completely breaks down -- not just police and ambulance, but electricity, water, grocery stores, food deliveries, mail, gas stations, etc. People start to get a little desperate, go a little crazy. Think "Lord of Flies" in suburbia. The story stays close to the thoughts, actions, and feelings of the main characters, especially Peter and Ann. I loved this book. I cannot wait for the next book by this author.
November 28, 2009
I won this book from Goodreads and I am very glad that I did. I was not disappointed at all. The book makes you think about how you would react if you were put into the same situation.
The story centers around the Brooks family who has already suffered a family tragedy. Ann and Peter who have two young daughters are struggling with their relationship when the H5N1 influenza strikes and becomes a pandemic. Carla Buckley, the author, shows how the family deals with the pandemic. As the crisis worsens their relationships to each other and to outsiders, including their neighbors, changes.
Some of the decisions the family makes are shocking but I may have made the same choices if I were in their situation. The author creates a very realistic world with very believable characters. I just hope I never have to face a pandemic and be forced to make impossible choices.
I would highly recommend this book.
March 1, 2014
What happens when the H5N1 avian flu virus jumps from birds to humans? Pandemic.
I'm not sure what I was expecting to get when I chose to read this book. I thought I had reached my dystopian quota for the decade in 2013.
Apparently not.
The Things that Keep Us Here follows one family's effort to survive a pandemic outbreak. I think most readers can picture the break down of services, inflation, crime rate soaring and frustrated kids with no access to the internet.
After spending three days this past December without power following an ice storm I probably could have written this story as well.
Some plot holes, predictable heart tugging moments and a book that was far longer than it needed to be.
Or maybe I've just become too cynical. Good debut effort by this author.
I'm not sure what I was expecting to get when I chose to read this book. I thought I had reached my dystopian quota for the decade in 2013.
Apparently not.
The Things that Keep Us Here follows one family's effort to survive a pandemic outbreak. I think most readers can picture the break down of services, inflation, crime rate soaring and frustrated kids with no access to the internet.
After spending three days this past December without power following an ice storm I probably could have written this story as well.
Some plot holes, predictable heart tugging moments and a book that was far longer than it needed to be.
Or maybe I've just become too cynical. Good debut effort by this author.
October 7, 2009
Yes, this is the kind of beach ready, trashy book that features cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. Yes, Buckley's prose is workmanlike and her characters flat. And yes, you feel as if you're reading a fleshed-out screenplay. But goodness gracious, it's an exciting fleshed-out screenplay, and the movie will be gripping. I'm someone who can't be bothered getting flu shots or worrying about H1N1, but this tale of a worldwide avian flu epidemic gave me nightmares and kinda sorta made me see the virtues of gun ownership.
May 24, 2015
Thought provoking read.
April 28, 2021
while in the middle of a pandemic and reading about a pandemic made it so much more a reality.
the book was truely a compelling read.
the book was truely a compelling read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2009
The Things That Keep Us Here is an exceptionally painful book at times. Not because it's awful but because awful things happen. There's just enough room left between the lines to imagine what would happen "if." If the pandemic we've been panicking about for the last year really did happen (although in this case it's H5N1) and if it was so much worse than we ever expected.
If you're looking for one of those epidemic books where you can't go three words without hitting a very long, very garbled scientific explanation, this is not the book for you. There's enough science to keep things rolling at the beginning of the book, but for the most part Things expects that you already know that a pandemic is the worst nightmare you've never given quite enough thought to before.
Instead, the book works because it focuses on how one family's world implodes during the aftermath of the avian flu. Simple things like grocery shopping or stopping to talk to a neighbor become far more dangerous than one would imagine and therein lies the hook. You're forced to stop and wonder what you would do in each circumstance. Would you continue to go to work at a job that would constantly expose you to the deadliest disease in decades? Would you pay nine dollars for a can of tuna or would you be the person who feels justified in price gouging to such an extreme? Would you let an infected friend in when they came begging for help or would you lock the door?
There are a couple of issues I have a bit of a hard time with in Things. When trying to explain this awesome (but horrible for my ability to sleep and then go to work at a job where people seem to delight in sneezing right in your face) book, I realized the shopping trip that made me so angry I was shaking (on behalf of the characters) happened... Day One. And I'm not really sure that people would degenerate quite that quickly on the first day of an announced pandemic. Day two, sure. But day one seems a bit premature, particularly when the general population hits the mall on days two and three. The scene is a good one but I fear it happens a little too early.
Also, when looking back on the book, there seems to be an overabundance of back story drama. On the one hand, it doesn't seem to be quite so much while actually reading the story. On the other, after it's all said and done, I can't help but think... that's an awful lot of crap thrown at them before the book even started. Was it just to push Ann and Peter's marriage to the breaking point? The way it comes across in the book, they seem to have just never really recovered from losing their son, William. Do they really need Alzheimer's, a probable suicide, and cancer all thrown in the mix as well? This isn't to say it's not realistic but looking back it does seem a bit like overkill.
Even with these small flaws that may apply only to me, I couldn't put the book down. I originally planned on reading maybe a chapter or two every morning after work but that first day I managed to read halfway through before I even realized what I was doing. The story haunts even as it races along.
If you're looking for one of those epidemic books where you can't go three words without hitting a very long, very garbled scientific explanation, this is not the book for you. There's enough science to keep things rolling at the beginning of the book, but for the most part Things expects that you already know that a pandemic is the worst nightmare you've never given quite enough thought to before.
Instead, the book works because it focuses on how one family's world implodes during the aftermath of the avian flu. Simple things like grocery shopping or stopping to talk to a neighbor become far more dangerous than one would imagine and therein lies the hook. You're forced to stop and wonder what you would do in each circumstance. Would you continue to go to work at a job that would constantly expose you to the deadliest disease in decades? Would you pay nine dollars for a can of tuna or would you be the person who feels justified in price gouging to such an extreme? Would you let an infected friend in when they came begging for help or would you lock the door?
There are a couple of issues I have a bit of a hard time with in Things. When trying to explain this awesome (but horrible for my ability to sleep and then go to work at a job where people seem to delight in sneezing right in your face) book, I realized the shopping trip that made me so angry I was shaking (on behalf of the characters) happened... Day One. And I'm not really sure that people would degenerate quite that quickly on the first day of an announced pandemic. Day two, sure. But day one seems a bit premature, particularly when the general population hits the mall on days two and three. The scene is a good one but I fear it happens a little too early.
Also, when looking back on the book, there seems to be an overabundance of back story drama. On the one hand, it doesn't seem to be quite so much while actually reading the story. On the other, after it's all said and done, I can't help but think... that's an awful lot of crap thrown at them before the book even started. Was it just to push Ann and Peter's marriage to the breaking point? The way it comes across in the book, they seem to have just never really recovered from losing their son, William. Do they really need Alzheimer's, a probable suicide, and cancer all thrown in the mix as well? This isn't to say it's not realistic but looking back it does seem a bit like overkill.
Even with these small flaws that may apply only to me, I couldn't put the book down. I originally planned on reading maybe a chapter or two every morning after work but that first day I managed to read halfway through before I even realized what I was doing. The story haunts even as it races along.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2009
Synopsis and Review:
*includes basic set up information to entice but does not disclose middle or ending of book*
Ann and Peter are separated and going through the process of getting a divorce. Peter has instigated the separation. It’s the “I love you but not in love with you” scenario. Ann is suffering from the inevitable repercussions of this, yet is mostly reconciled with the fact.
They have two healthy girls, one 8 and the other 13, to whom they are devoted. Ann dotes on them while teaching at a local elementary school. Peter is a veterinarian, turned head research professor at the local university. He is studying viral activity between humans and animals – mainly the avian flu.
Several massive bird die outs are reported locally and Peter is sent to investigate. The sites are visually devastating with thousands of dead birds. Shortly thereafter the US and the entire world go on alert for the virus H5N1. What was once a potential epidemic turns pandemic. People are told to isolate themselves and their families to prevent to spread of this deadly flu.
Due to some bad luck regarding logistics Peter is reluctantly welcomed to stay at Ann’s home with his gorgeous graduate assistant. As the pandemic develops and the local area is quarantined, the story progresses and we see the psychological aspects of each individual as the taken-for-granted social structures meltdown, and everyone struggles to survive psychologically and physically. As they are pushed to their limits, we see their “humanness”, as they are forced to deal with horrific events.
My Personal Thoughts:
This apocalyptic novel is an absolute page turner. It is something which could potentially happen, which makes the story poignant. I thought the characters felt real. I did not guess how it would end. It has just enough technical information to keep it feeling intellectual and enough emotional insight to make it heart wrenching; all the while considering what it means to be imperfect and human when faced with questionable survival.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in realistic apocalyptic scenarios and for readers who like a bit of science as well as internal conflict in their reading. I would define this as a woman’s science fiction book, not to say men would not enjoy it. I give The Things That Keep Us Here - 4 stars, perhaps more since the ARC copy I read understandably felt unfinished in parts.
I am excitedly looking forward to Carla’s next novel coming out in 2011. I believe the title is Invisible.
*includes basic set up information to entice but does not disclose middle or ending of book*
Ann and Peter are separated and going through the process of getting a divorce. Peter has instigated the separation. It’s the “I love you but not in love with you” scenario. Ann is suffering from the inevitable repercussions of this, yet is mostly reconciled with the fact.
They have two healthy girls, one 8 and the other 13, to whom they are devoted. Ann dotes on them while teaching at a local elementary school. Peter is a veterinarian, turned head research professor at the local university. He is studying viral activity between humans and animals – mainly the avian flu.
Several massive bird die outs are reported locally and Peter is sent to investigate. The sites are visually devastating with thousands of dead birds. Shortly thereafter the US and the entire world go on alert for the virus H5N1. What was once a potential epidemic turns pandemic. People are told to isolate themselves and their families to prevent to spread of this deadly flu.
Due to some bad luck regarding logistics Peter is reluctantly welcomed to stay at Ann’s home with his gorgeous graduate assistant. As the pandemic develops and the local area is quarantined, the story progresses and we see the psychological aspects of each individual as the taken-for-granted social structures meltdown, and everyone struggles to survive psychologically and physically. As they are pushed to their limits, we see their “humanness”, as they are forced to deal with horrific events.
My Personal Thoughts:
This apocalyptic novel is an absolute page turner. It is something which could potentially happen, which makes the story poignant. I thought the characters felt real. I did not guess how it would end. It has just enough technical information to keep it feeling intellectual and enough emotional insight to make it heart wrenching; all the while considering what it means to be imperfect and human when faced with questionable survival.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in realistic apocalyptic scenarios and for readers who like a bit of science as well as internal conflict in their reading. I would define this as a woman’s science fiction book, not to say men would not enjoy it. I give The Things That Keep Us Here - 4 stars, perhaps more since the ARC copy I read understandably felt unfinished in parts.
I am excitedly looking forward to Carla’s next novel coming out in 2011. I believe the title is Invisible.
October 16, 2018
This rating is an average.
Premise: 5
Character development: 1
I started reading this on Sunday, and by Monday night I'd ordered water storage on Amazon. And emergency candles. The believability of the flu pandemic storyline is compelling. I think her take is spot-on. I found it very interesting to consider all of the things that can/will go wrong in any major disaster. I loved that part.
So, why a 1 for character development? Oh, man. If I were still teaching English, I'd use this novel for an example of flat, static characters whom no one cares about, even at the end. The same authenticity that rings out in the plot of the pandemic is completely and utterly lacking in the characters. I could go on and on...oh, maybe I will.
- The estranged husband and wife never have a real conversation, yet somehow everything's patched up. If you want to read this done well, "The Painted Veil" by Somerset Maugham is a treasure.
- The husband is supposed to be having an affair with his grad student, but there isn't even any hint of spark, nothing, between them, and the wife never says anything even when the woman is living in her house??? I'm sorry. It just doesn't work.
- The teen daughter is so ridiculous and indulged that any real parent would have put her in her place 100 pages earlier. The only thing believable about that is that it demonstrates the utter weakness and passivity of the wife.
- There are too many trope characters (mean neighbor, faithful dog, vicious youth, etc.).
Oh, that's probably enough. You get the point: don't read this novel for character development and relationship reality.
That said, the story is interesting. It's a quick read that I found myself unwilling to put down. The storyline was compelling, and it made me want to read others like it (in addition to stocking up on canned goods).
Premise: 5
Character development: 1
I started reading this on Sunday, and by Monday night I'd ordered water storage on Amazon. And emergency candles. The believability of the flu pandemic storyline is compelling. I think her take is spot-on. I found it very interesting to consider all of the things that can/will go wrong in any major disaster. I loved that part.
So, why a 1 for character development? Oh, man. If I were still teaching English, I'd use this novel for an example of flat, static characters whom no one cares about, even at the end. The same authenticity that rings out in the plot of the pandemic is completely and utterly lacking in the characters. I could go on and on...oh, maybe I will.
- The estranged husband and wife never have a real conversation, yet somehow everything's patched up. If you want to read this done well, "The Painted Veil" by Somerset Maugham is a treasure.
- The husband is supposed to be having an affair with his grad student, but there isn't even any hint of spark, nothing, between them, and the wife never says anything even when the woman is living in her house??? I'm sorry. It just doesn't work.
- The teen daughter is so ridiculous and indulged that any real parent would have put her in her place 100 pages earlier. The only thing believable about that is that it demonstrates the utter weakness and passivity of the wife.
- There are too many trope characters (mean neighbor, faithful dog, vicious youth, etc.).
Oh, that's probably enough. You get the point: don't read this novel for character development and relationship reality.
That said, the story is interesting. It's a quick read that I found myself unwilling to put down. The storyline was compelling, and it made me want to read others like it (in addition to stocking up on canned goods).
February 13, 2011
*****PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THERE ARE ***SPOILERS*** IN THIS REVIEW!!!
Ann and Peter Brooks have two daughters: twelve-year-old Kate and seven-year-old Maddie who live in the comfortable suburb of Columbus, Ohio. Their baby, William, had died causing unspeakable grief for Ann and Peter which has affected their relationship irreparably. One night while driving home from a family get together, Peter announces that they should separate and spend some time alone. He tells Anne that he “still loves her”, but he’s “not IN love with her anymore.” As expected, Kate and Maddie don’t take the news of their parents split very well. Peter collects some clothing and moves into a small one-bedroom apartment, leaving the house for Ann and the girls.
Peter is a Professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine but is now doing research. After a year of separation, Ann is feeling confident that she can deal with any problems or hardships. But, just before Thanksgiving, a serious and dangerous crisis hits and topples everybody’s world upside down. Out at one of the lakes close to their home, Peter and some duck hunters have discovered hundreds of blue-winged teal birds, mottled brown and cream bobbing upside down in the lake. They soon learn that the avian influenza virus H5N1 is loose in their community. Everyone is trapped inside their homes making life and death decisions in an environment where even opening your front door could mean the end of you and your family.
Ann now has to make choices that will affect the lives of Kate and Maddie and others around her. Quarantined in their own home, Ann is soon forced to make her first of many life or death decisions!
An excellent debut novel geared for everyone.
Ann and Peter Brooks have two daughters: twelve-year-old Kate and seven-year-old Maddie who live in the comfortable suburb of Columbus, Ohio. Their baby, William, had died causing unspeakable grief for Ann and Peter which has affected their relationship irreparably. One night while driving home from a family get together, Peter announces that they should separate and spend some time alone. He tells Anne that he “still loves her”, but he’s “not IN love with her anymore.” As expected, Kate and Maddie don’t take the news of their parents split very well. Peter collects some clothing and moves into a small one-bedroom apartment, leaving the house for Ann and the girls.
Peter is a Professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine but is now doing research. After a year of separation, Ann is feeling confident that she can deal with any problems or hardships. But, just before Thanksgiving, a serious and dangerous crisis hits and topples everybody’s world upside down. Out at one of the lakes close to their home, Peter and some duck hunters have discovered hundreds of blue-winged teal birds, mottled brown and cream bobbing upside down in the lake. They soon learn that the avian influenza virus H5N1 is loose in their community. Everyone is trapped inside their homes making life and death decisions in an environment where even opening your front door could mean the end of you and your family.
Ann now has to make choices that will affect the lives of Kate and Maddie and others around her. Quarantined in their own home, Ann is soon forced to make her first of many life or death decisions!
An excellent debut novel geared for everyone.
March 16, 2011
Excellent~! Recommend to everyone~! Wow!....an amazing super read. Bird flu is the topic of this book. Ann, the mom; Peter, the dad who walked out on his wife one year ago; Kate, the teen daughter; Maddie, the younger daughter; William, the baby boy who died when Kate crawled into his crib with her pillow and accidently sufficated him; Shazia, Egyptian med student; Jacob (Jake), the baby who was left on the door step by neighbor, Libby, who knew she was dying of the Avian flu; Mike, Peter's brother; Old Mr. Finn, a neighbor with a generator and stock pile of food; SNOW STORM BACK DROP; NO ELECTRIC BACK DROP, A RUN ON THE GROCERY STORES BACK DROP.
Peter, a scientist discovers a cove ofthousands of dead ducks. Then another batch is found. Now the story breaks about Avian flu. Friends of the girls die. Neighbors die. Bodies are sent to the ice rink to keep them somewhat preserved.
Ann loads up ghot gn and kids and leaves area for 2 years. Later a reunion brings them together again and you learn that Shazia has a son, Ali, the same age as Jake.
Scarey book and highly recommended. May have to read it again in a year or two. THIS BOOK DESERVES MORE THAN 5 STARS. COULD BE THE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR.
Peter, a scientist discovers a cove ofthousands of dead ducks. Then another batch is found. Now the story breaks about Avian flu. Friends of the girls die. Neighbors die. Bodies are sent to the ice rink to keep them somewhat preserved.
Ann loads up ghot gn and kids and leaves area for 2 years. Later a reunion brings them together again and you learn that Shazia has a son, Ali, the same age as Jake.
Scarey book and highly recommended. May have to read it again in a year or two. THIS BOOK DESERVES MORE THAN 5 STARS. COULD BE THE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2011
Masterfully written, frighteningly real, this novel drew me in quickly and kept me up past midnight.
A fairly straightforward plot: avian flu shifts to infect humans, with a 50% mortality rate. One family provides the lens through which the readers view the pandemic. Their physical struggle to survive a crisis for which they are not prepared frames a deeply moving, emotional story.
Carla Buckley's skill in this debut novel demonstrates an real understanding of human emotion and dynamics, without the need for overblown descriptions or unwieldy writing. On the strength of this story I'd call Buckley's style understated to the point of sparse, which played well given her frightening subject matter.
A few negatives: there were a few fairly transparent plot points, and I spent a good portion of the novel heartily disliking a couple of the characters. I found myself wishing the author shared my faith, or any faith at all; the complete lack of that aspect of the human experience being addressed in the novel seemed a glaring omission to me. Still, an excellent book. I'll look for her next novel with anticipation.
A fairly straightforward plot: avian flu shifts to infect humans, with a 50% mortality rate. One family provides the lens through which the readers view the pandemic. Their physical struggle to survive a crisis for which they are not prepared frames a deeply moving, emotional story.
Carla Buckley's skill in this debut novel demonstrates an real understanding of human emotion and dynamics, without the need for overblown descriptions or unwieldy writing. On the strength of this story I'd call Buckley's style understated to the point of sparse, which played well given her frightening subject matter.
A few negatives: there were a few fairly transparent plot points, and I spent a good portion of the novel heartily disliking a couple of the characters. I found myself wishing the author shared my faith, or any faith at all; the complete lack of that aspect of the human experience being addressed in the novel seemed a glaring omission to me. Still, an excellent book. I'll look for her next novel with anticipation.
November 22, 2009
I received this book Thursday as a First Reads giveaway and I just finished it today. The Things That Keep Us Here centers on the world being hit by an avian flu pandemic. How Ann Brooks, her estranged husband Peter, and two children cope with the changes that this pandemic has brought to their lives. At first, I found the book predictable and at times it almost seemed like theauthor was writing more for a screenplay than for a novel At the end of chapter two, where the reader learns that a young Korean girl lost her father to the avian flu in Korea before the family fled to the US, the girl whispers to Ann, "It coming here." I pictured a close-up of the girl with suspenseful music playing in the background...It was just a little too much. That being said, the plot becomes more complex as the book goes on and I was unable to put the book down. It's as much about relationships as it is about how the world can change at the blink of an eye.
November 2, 2009
This book succeeds on so many levels. The writing is assured. From the very first scene, the author nails a certain type of husband/wife relationship. With an economy of words that evidences Buckley's skill, she captures the nuances of a marriage and all the things that go unspoken between a man and a woman. Going wider, she does the same with the dynamics in a family, in a neighborhood, even in the community at large. Every character, no matter how minor, is brought to life.
The concept is huge, too, and so very timely: avian flu threatening to become a pandemic. Buckley does a wonderful job of racheting up the suspense as the threat grows; reading this book was truly frightening. And I was thoroughly convinced the author knows about the science of which she writes, making it even more scary. I believe what happens to these characters.
Thise novel would be a great choice for a book club. It raises some heavy questions that is guaranteed to provoke lively discussion.
The concept is huge, too, and so very timely: avian flu threatening to become a pandemic. Buckley does a wonderful job of racheting up the suspense as the threat grows; reading this book was truly frightening. And I was thoroughly convinced the author knows about the science of which she writes, making it even more scary. I believe what happens to these characters.
Thise novel would be a great choice for a book club. It raises some heavy questions that is guaranteed to provoke lively discussion.
May 1, 2021
I checked out the audio version of this title from Seattle Bibliocommons because I loved The Liar's Child, which I read and reviewed two years ago, and decided to see what else Buckley had written. This title is post-apocalyptic fiction, whereas the one I had already read was a thriller, but the aspect that the two share in common is that both are family stories involving children and adolescents. Buckley knows how to write believable children without trying to fudge the job with precocious tots bearing adult vocabulary levels.
Here's the eerie thing: the opening chapters of this thing involve a global pandemic. Everyone is supposed to go home and shelter in place. There's a run on the grocery stores. Does this sound a trifle familiar? It was published in 2011!
I'm not parting with any other details, but I will say that I came away every bit as impressed by this earlier work as I am with the 2019 publication. Buckley is a badass, and I will read her any day of the week.
Here's the eerie thing: the opening chapters of this thing involve a global pandemic. Everyone is supposed to go home and shelter in place. There's a run on the grocery stores. Does this sound a trifle familiar? It was published in 2011!
I'm not parting with any other details, but I will say that I came away every bit as impressed by this earlier work as I am with the 2019 publication. Buckley is a badass, and I will read her any day of the week.
July 1, 2010
This story was very unsettling because it could happen to us at any time. I was discussing it with my husband, and we both agreed that if this were to really happen, he and I would probably not survive.
Carla Buckley brings to life a very real and frightening event of the worst kind.....a pandemic. It happens quickly, and within days many people are sick and dying. While I was reading, I realized exactly how much I take for granted in life. Shaken to the core after reading this book, I won't take anything for granted any more....electricity, medical care, clean and safe water to drink.....and most of all, my family.
The Things That Keep Us Here is an engrossing read, that kept me thinking about it while I was not even reading it. I will remember it for a long time, and I will also be looking forward to more books by Carla Buckley.
June 24, 2020
This book fascinated me! At first, I didn’t think there was any way I could read a novel about a pandemic during a pandemic, but it was the most perfect time to read this novel. I was shocked at the foresight of the author (this was written 10 years ago!) in terms of how to live and parent during a pandemic. I am amazed at how the author captures the emotions, fears, and strengths in her characters without having yet lived through this situation. I think some of the more severe parts of the novel may have seen far fetched for readers who had yet to live during a pandemic but for the current situation, it doesn’t seem that far from a potential future reality. Extremely relevant. Highly recommend.
October 28, 2009
Extremely Thought-Provoking
Carla Buckley's first novel takes on some very timely subject matter, and it is clearly well-researched. I was impressed with the detailed and vivid portrayals of the many unexpected obstacles that arose as the days of the quarantine turned into weeks. This novel raises so many survival instinct issues (like family before all else) that I connected with at a very personal level. The novel's protagonist, Ann, was a very fully drawn, sympathetic, and fascinating character. I was completely engrossed in the plot and the interactions amongst Ann and her family members from the first chapter on.
December 24, 2012
This was also one of my favorite reads of 2012. Even Kevin, who hasn't read a book in 11 years, loved it.
April 17, 2017
Super fast read - "light" and more of a YA novel than an in-depth sci-fi/dystopian fiction item. First, I want to say that I enjoyed the book on the whole, despite the shortcomings in continuity and character development. I don't think I would ever want to re-read it (as I do with some really enjoyable books). It was a good quick in-flight read on a recent plane trip.
The topic taps into a really basic and primal fear of GERMS! Reading this in an airport meant I was looking at everything as a disease vector and I was really wishing I had brought hand sanitizer. I was finding myself very sensitive to people coughing without covering their mouths - eeek!
The writing style was mostly realistic dialogue and not much science mumbo jumbo -- she kept the science pretty high level and focused mostly on the internal fears and insecurities of the primary protagonists.
There were some plot holes and inconsistencies -- some characters and scenes could have been left out entirely and it would have strengthened the book. The "prologue" where the author attempts to set up the scene about difficult marital relationship throws in a possible suicide for spice that doesn't do much to develop the characters.
What was enjoyable was establishing the mother as very protective of her kids to the point that she would not answer the door for her best friend who wanted to surrender her infant to her because she was so worried about exposing her own kids to the virus.
The author repeatedly goes back to the death of the couple's baby boy (which seems to be an accidental death caused by his toddler sister climbing in the crib with a pillow to sleep with him and smothering him). The couple is on opposite ends of emotional needs -- she wants to always talk about who the boy might be now and he wants to move on. I find it interesting that the information about the sister having caused the baby's death is buried late in the book and there's no demonstrated antipathy by either parent toward the daughter for her part in the baby's death, just a mention that the girl spent some time with social services and was returned home.
For the inconsistencies -- for example, it wasn't clear how long the power was out - months? What about the gas? Why were they cooking on the BBQ and fireplace? Don't most homes have gas stoves or appliances? Blizzard conditions make even the most well insulated house cold in a blizzard and a gas stove could be used to heat the house pretty easily!
Another one that bothered me was the visit to the "mom & pop" style grocery store -- where the owner tried to extort more and more money for the grocery items and then refused to sell anything. This made no sense at all to me -- I don't think that any shop owner would be so avaricious as to turn down any payment at all.
The vehicle hijacking by an infected teenager was a bit weird too - if people are so hostile, why would you even open your car window to talk to someone? That was inconsistent.
And ... if 40% of the population was decimated -- who would have time to loot and vandalize empty houses?
The topic taps into a really basic and primal fear of GERMS! Reading this in an airport meant I was looking at everything as a disease vector and I was really wishing I had brought hand sanitizer. I was finding myself very sensitive to people coughing without covering their mouths - eeek!
The writing style was mostly realistic dialogue and not much science mumbo jumbo -- she kept the science pretty high level and focused mostly on the internal fears and insecurities of the primary protagonists.
There were some plot holes and inconsistencies -- some characters and scenes could have been left out entirely and it would have strengthened the book. The "prologue" where the author attempts to set up the scene about difficult marital relationship throws in a possible suicide for spice that doesn't do much to develop the characters.
What was enjoyable was establishing the mother as very protective of her kids to the point that she would not answer the door for her best friend who wanted to surrender her infant to her because she was so worried about exposing her own kids to the virus.
The author repeatedly goes back to the death of the couple's baby boy (which seems to be an accidental death caused by his toddler sister climbing in the crib with a pillow to sleep with him and smothering him). The couple is on opposite ends of emotional needs -- she wants to always talk about who the boy might be now and he wants to move on. I find it interesting that the information about the sister having caused the baby's death is buried late in the book and there's no demonstrated antipathy by either parent toward the daughter for her part in the baby's death, just a mention that the girl spent some time with social services and was returned home.
For the inconsistencies -- for example, it wasn't clear how long the power was out - months? What about the gas? Why were they cooking on the BBQ and fireplace? Don't most homes have gas stoves or appliances? Blizzard conditions make even the most well insulated house cold in a blizzard and a gas stove could be used to heat the house pretty easily!
Another one that bothered me was the visit to the "mom & pop" style grocery store -- where the owner tried to extort more and more money for the grocery items and then refused to sell anything. This made no sense at all to me -- I don't think that any shop owner would be so avaricious as to turn down any payment at all.
The vehicle hijacking by an infected teenager was a bit weird too - if people are so hostile, why would you even open your car window to talk to someone? That was inconsistent.
And ... if 40% of the population was decimated -- who would have time to loot and vandalize empty houses?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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