An Atomic Romance

by Bobbie Ann Mason

This provocative, rollicking story is the much-anticipated new novel–the first in over a decade–from acclaimed author Bobbie Ann Mason. In An Atomic Romance we meet Reed Futrell, a sexy, thoughtful hero who grapples with radioactive contamination, a midlife crisis, and string theory–all while falling in love.

Reed is an engineer at a uranium-enrichment plant near a riverside city in heartland America. He has deep roots in this He was raised there; his father worked at the very same plant before him. And it was here that Reed met, married, and then divorced his wife. Reed spends countless nights camping at a local wildlife preserve, gazing at the stars, fishing and hunting–that is, until deformed frogs are discovered at the site. Though his father was killed in a tragic accident at the atomic plant years ago, Reed stays on, proud to perform demanding and dangerous work for the benefit of the nation. As for the radioactive “incidents” he has endured, Reed prefers to think about other things–Hubble photographs of distant galaxies, Albert Einstein, his dog.

Reed’s casual attitude toward danger infuriates his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Julia, as much as his quirky mind and muscular body intrigue her. Julia, a biologist, is truly Reed’s match–or maybe more than his match. They both are witty, curious, and fascinated by science. Indeed, their courtship began with banter about Stephen Hawking’s theories of space-time, and ever since it has been an up-and-down adventure of sexual attraction, intellectual game-playing, and long silences when Julia refuses to return Reed’s calls.

When news reports reveal evidence of radioactive pollution in the land surrounding the plant, Reed and Julia’s relationship faces an unprecedented challenge. In An Atomic Romance , Bobbie Ann Mason delivers a brilliant novel set against a backdrop of atomic a love story between a motorcycle-riding loner and an independent, strong-minded biologist; between the peaceful present in a typical American community and the nation’s violent nuclear past; and, finally, between a good man and the work he takes pride in, though it may be putting his life in danger.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Novels

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 23, 2005

About the author

Bobbie Ann Mason has won the PEN/Hemingway Award and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the American Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Her books include In Country and Feather Crowns. She lives in Kentucky.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This sucked. It was repetitive and boring. Let me sum up the whole book for you:
Reed: I don't give a shit if I die of radiation poisoning. I just look at the stars and everything is fine. By the way, I'm desperately in love with you, Julia, but I keep fucking everything up.
Julia: I love you, but I can't handle the fact that you glow green and won't quit your dumbass job.
Reed: My job is fine. No one in the government would lie and let workers die slowly and painfully.
Julia: Well, I was stupid enough to get pregnant, so I guess I'm stuck with your pathetic ass.
Reed: I hope the baby doesn't end up deformed from all of the radiation I've been exposed to.

[Ed · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was O.K. The characters well-developed, but not that interesting. Bits of science (from radiation to string theory to molecular biology) played roles both within the plot and metaphorically, but the "romance" just didn't interest me.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book 28 of Nuclear Studies (?):

I almost hate to count this as part of my studies but I included other fictional books on that list, so I guess it’s only fair.

This was bad. The science was there and was reasonably researched. I was quite surprised by that. The science was actually better than other books I’ve read on this very list. But the delivery was bad. Terrible.

Written in third person limited, we are stuck in the thoughts of the main character Reed who is the least interesting, dopey, pseudo-intellectual character that I have EVER encountered in any book I’ve read. You’re telling me that a guy with a degree in chemistry doesn’t even comprehend that exposure to radiation could be dangerous. Reed and his other buddies/coworkers at the uranium processing plant are completely clueless. It’s only at the end that Reed starts considering how dangerous his exposures might have been and that’s only after he starts reading about plutonium testing in human subjects that occurred in the mid-century. I find it hard to believe that he has no clue about any of these things. But maybe that’s because his head is in outer space. This guy MOONS (pun intended) over outer space. There’s almost an equal amount dedicated to his love of the planets. He just daydreams about astronomy all day long. Repeatedly. Constantly. Annoyingly.

The only other annoying thing is this so-called romance in this book. The only other thing Reed MOONS constantly over is this girl Julia who doesn’t even show up until halfway through the book, stays for a few chapters, and then reappears like three pages from the end. Another reviewer said that there was more science than romance and that’s absolutely true of this book (not that I liked any of the romance anyways).

Also, and perhaps my ignorance in the romance genre is apparent, are romantic novels always full of such salacious, irrelevant details? Ugh. Horrible.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Radium Girls meets The Global War on Morris. A moment in the life story of an introspective man who may have been exposed to radiation at his workplace. This narrative is more about everyday life and intellectual theorizing, than change. While withholding likeable characters and a traditional reader-approved ending, I believe this work is still significant. It is a good example of zeitgeist for the employee of an American corporation with questionable employee protection and environmental practices. Only time will tell if its message will be diluted into obscurity or heralded to Jungle- like proportions.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great story of character(s). I felt like these were REAL people. The prose was excellent – I was involved in lives, the nightmare/dreams, the messy lives, and big “C”. The main character, Reed, is HUGELY flawed but his actions were so realistic, so fatal. Ugh, I hated him and I understood him.

This is not a big plot driven story and I understood that quite soon in the book – which explains the low ratings (after I finished I saw reviews). The ending leaves the reader dangling on a cliff of sorts but I appreciated it. This is a book that goes beneath the surface – just like the contamination…well played author, well played….

[Cheryl Licata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uranium enrichment plant meets cytopathology lab in this well-written novel. The story revolves around Reed's life containing plutonium and nuclear accidents and Julia's life dealing with germs and the possibility (or should I write inevitability) of a pandemic. When their romance is challenged, Reed's thoughts turn to canines. "He could be happy with dogs. Dogs had always offered him moral instruction. Reed's friend Burl's motto -- "Happy to be anywhere" could have been a dog's mantra. Dogs were storage drums of happiness." Does Reed's life "go to the dogs?" Read this interesting novel to find out.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

well written story about single man working at nuclear plant with ailing mother and botched romance; what is interesting here is one has no idea where the story is leading as there are so many threads—the one that is followed, is not the one I expected; took forever to read as this was started prior to Thelma’s medical problems beginning 10.05.2008; read Sep.-Nov., 08, hardback Rita purchased at Robie & Robie, 266 pgs.; at the time KY-based author was writer-in-residence at Univ. of KY; now lives in state of VA.

[Renée Gendron]

This was an interesting twist of a romance.

The book is heavily themed around nuclear science. The hero works for a defence contractor involved with nuclear material, and the heroine works as a medical researcher.

They are seasoned lovers with adult children. The hero navigates a series of interesting friendships, and a few almost-romantic relationships. The characters are vivid and memorable, and there's plenty of conflict to drive the plot.

It's a solid book that provides for a different sort of romance.

[Slone · Rating 2 out of 5]

This plot seemed to have a lot of threads that just sort of ... end without conclusion, if that's possible. There is an inkling of how things will go for at least one major plot line, but this felt more about ideas the author wanted to explore than fully fledged and explored.

[mattu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bobbie Ann Mason channeling Thomas McGuane.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic, dark wit with passages describing characters who are like asteroids in tight orbits that never quite reach the earth. Reminded me at times of Donald Ray Pollock and Flannery O’Conner.

[Paula Saaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a ton of potential but it ended like a romance novel. Interesting information about radioactive materials. In depth layman information about plutonium and where it's used.

[M. G. A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio. This one was very interesting. Haven’t read anything quite like it. An atomic romance, like the title says!

[Amber]

DNF 5%

Man, my library's selection of books on libby is terrible.

[Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to me from the man's perspective. Lots going on for our hero and lots covered well. Almost made me want to see the blue flames and go camping.

[Rosina Lippi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atomic Romance is a good novel. A really good novel, in many ways. Engaging and beautifully written and observed. But it's also missing something important.

This is the story of Reed Futrell, a guy in his forties, divorced, with two grown children. He's got a mother who made a lifetime out of independent quirkiness; he's got an on-again-off-again girlfriend with whom he shares a consuming interest in quantum mechanics and the Hubble telescope; he has worked for twenty years as an engineer making repairs at a uranium enrichment plant.

As is always the case, this story moves along on the power of conflict. Big conflicts, both present and past, small and large. Reed's mother is sick and approaching the end of her life; he's in love with Julia but they are always at odds about his job; and there's the nuclear power plant that killed his father in a chemical accident, and is now constantly in the news because old sins are rising to the surface. Beyond the expected contaminated soil and slag heaps, it seems as though the company Reed chose to trust may not have deserved his loyalty. Through the papers the workers learn about beryllium and plutonium exposure. In a small Kentucky town dependent on the plant at the center of its economy, this news is more than unsettling.

Here's the thing. Reed is a very engaging character. He's likeable and interesting. As the novel opens, he's lethargic. Alternately fascinated by science, and unwilling to really think about what's wrong at the plant, and what repercussions he might personally be facing. Julia is outraged and worried, and he skates along trying to pretend everything is all right.

Mason obviously knows a huge amount about these power plants and how they work. I like novels that look closely at the relationship between a mind and the tasks it takes on, and this novel does that in a very closely observed way:

"Powerful electric motors sent the gas spinning and shooting through hundreds of axial-flow compressors and into converters, where barriers with tiny holes filtered out the heavier isotopes. . . . This was the system, his friend and his enemy."

The problem is that in spite of the richness of characterization and the conflicts which are set up so carefully, the novel meanders. A lot of it simply takes place in Reed's head, and key scenes between characters are summarized or left out. I like Reed and his thoughts, but I needed more movement. Even when the parallel crises come to a head (what's going on at the plant, and his relationship with Julia) there's little energy here. There's so little energy that the resolution sputters unconvincingly, and in fact it felt as if Mason were looking for a neat way to tie up loose ends. Which is unusual for her, and a disappointment as far as this novel is concerned.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this novel Bobbie Ann Mason combines romance with space-time theories, mid-life crisis, nuclear contamination, family crisis, Hubble telescope photographs, life-long friendship, internet match-making, string theory, Clarence the dog and a bit of stream-of-consciousness thinking.

Ms. Mason's writing is saucey, witty, erudite and lively. She wrote the story from inside the mind of Reed Futrell, protagonist extraordinare. Reed is in the midst of a mid-life crisis where has to care for his aging sick mom, has an ex-wife and two grown children, scientific interests and a grirlfriend, Julia. By way of first person narrative, the reader experiences what Reed is thinking, but doesn't always say or do what he is thinking. His thoughts are somtimes systematic, often scatter-brained, usually sarcastic but always surrounds Julia. He is most real with Clarence his dog, Burl his best friend and Julia. But she senses he's holding something back. I sometimes found it hard to believe Ms. Mason got it so right with Reed, but she did. What's wild is I understood Reed's thinking and how he processed it. At times it was a little difficult to comprehend. It comes down to how we can think many things, but don't s always say them or act on them. Good thing!

Often Reed and Julia banter like academiacs. Julia continually worries about the danger Reed faces at his job at a uranium-enriching plant. They are intriguing as they discuss things like Stephen Hawkins space-time thories. They are both witty, intellectual and mutually sexually attracted to each other.

I was entertained, amused and intrigued by Ms. Mason's writing. Her narration is full of wit, colloquialisms and staight talk. She provides back-story - Reeds unsatisfied yearning to learn about his father's death. Her descriptions are novel, lively and often amazing; such as the view of his mom's hospital roommate, a "bundle of bones topped with a red wig".

I sensed Reed was going to have to make some huge decisions. A lot will deal with Julia. I'm not giving any more.

If you haven't read anything by Boobie Ann Mason yet, I suggest you consider doing so.

[jimtown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was eager to read this more recent book by Bobbie Ann Mason because her In Country was a book I truly enjoyed and could relate to. It's one of my rare five star books. I was interested to see where she was at after a long absence from writing.

If you watch and enjoy The Big Bang Theory on TV, then you might also enjoy An Atomic Romance. I think the 2005 book predates the show. I've only recently started watching Big Bang and it has opened my eyes and made Mason's book make much more sense to me than it may have if I'd read it prior to seeing The Big Bang Theory. This book opens a new door for me in looking into String Theory. I heard about Shroedinger's cat again and though my theory differs, it's all brave, new subject matter that I may look further into.

In the story, Reed Futrell is at a crossroads in his life. His easy going ways have gotten him by working at the local atomic plant. It's a place that took his dad but in some small town way, the people there feel a loyalty and almost patriotic towards the plant and the dangerous jobs they do there. Reed's girlfriend Julia is frustrated by his shrug it off attitude toward the dangers involved.

This is a real easy going story and Reed is a very likable character. I'm not going to say much more about the story but I'll leave you with a quote I picked out.

'Their experiment was such a tight secret that the citizens of the city didn't have a chance to imagine an uncontrolled chain reaction, a disaster that would have made the great Chicago fire seem like a wienie roast.'

This was of particular significance to me, because I grew up not far from the town of Weston, that disappeared to make room for Fermi Lab, the home of Enrico(?) Fermi's atom smasher.

An Atomic Romance is part romance and part atomic, but it's not a super technical book, so do be afraid to try it. Interesting, informative and the ending surprised me and made me happy. What more can I ask for?

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Vise of Life is closing its jaws in on Reed Futrell. His mother is failing and will likely need to go to a nursing home, there are questions about the nuclear fuel processing plant where Reed works as a maintenance engineer, and his girlfriend Julia appears to be drifting apart from him, in part because of her concern over the risks he is exposed to at the plant and in part because she is developing a hankering to study molecular biology. Reed's tasks are to hold off the Vise of Life until he can figure out some things: what happened to his dad when he worked at the plant? How much waste is really at the plant and how much radiation has he really been exposed to when repairing valves and pipes carrying UH6 to keep the cascade going? What should he do to help his mother? And above all, can he capture Julia's heart?

There is a lot of physics in this book. Isotopes, uranium hexaflouride , transuranics, string theory, quarks, half-lives, astronomy, nuclear plant operations; this list is long indeed. In part it is there to describe Reed's job, and in part there as a means of metaphor. It works better on the first level than on the second. While I got a pretty good idea of what it like to scramble around the innards of processing plant in a hazmat suit, the idea of Julia pulling him closer (if indeed that is what she is doing) by encouraging him to study string theory is a bit of a stretch (more rubber band than string) to say the least.

The book jumped around a bit and I though that Reed's dad's accident might have taken on greater significance. In the end, though, there is enough of a bond between Reed and those he holds close to keep things together, no strings attached.

[Thom (T.E.) · Rating 2 out of 5]

To start: a wonderful choice of setting, situation, and subject matter. The industrial plants and associated towns of the Tennessee Valley that, around mid-century, went from being mining-centered to nuclear. How some people (and families) get in front of the situation when something new moves in--and they succeed some but they are also taken advantage of by those who are at the top of the company ladder and don't have their hearts into keeping the community healthy and prosperous.

The leads are very well drawn and their situations sufficiently distinct to keep me involved. But then the denouement came along and I was thoroughly disappointed. It almost seemed as if the author chose the tone she wanted to have at the end and picked the best place to jump to it and that was that: a wrap for the book. Mason's work is not to be taken lightly, but I found this to be a novel where the promise was compromised.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audio of this book. I live in Oak Ridge, TN, which used to be called the atomic city so I could identify with much the author says in this book, although I think her book is probably based on the DOE plant in Padukah, KY, not Oak Ridge, but it could be any nuclear plant city. If I didn't live here and have some knowledge of people who have become ill because of the chemicals that are found in the plants and those that have been improperly disposed of in the past, I might not have enjoyed the book as much as I did. The romance was not all that romantic and there was too much about string theory and the stars.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good audio book and a well written story. The characters were flawed in realistic ways and their interactions and conversations seemed natural. The story is about the personal journey of one man through an awakening to the world beyond himself and love. The potential is always there, the reader sees it, but the character really comes to see it in himself. Besides the love story that the book jacket proclaims it to be, I think it is also the story of the relationship of parents to children and male friendship.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a difficult time trying to write a review for "An Atomic Romance"; I really, really wanted to like this book, because Mason is a wonderful writer, but I just didn't have any emotional investment in the book after finishing it.

Mason tried to be provocative and provide a romantic, science-laden, passing on the generational torch morality lesson, but all I came away with was "The book's about a horny middle-aged guy who doesn't want to die, tries to be like Marlon Brando, and really needs to admit that he's more like Nathan Lane."

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is written by a Kentucky author and a story based on the atomic energy plant in Paducah Kentucky where my dad worked for most of the first 30 years of its existence. The plot and people are presented in a remarkably realistic way,and I enjoyed reading it. The romance is not the youthful first romance but the middle age been there before kind. A different kind of read, but with some of the joy of romance and lots of thoughtful issues about work, relationships and people as well as the "radioactive" problem.

[Bookmarks Magazine]

In her first novel in a decade, Mason examines the joys and sorrows of life in an atomic Heartland town. It seems, however, that a decade-long break hasn't done Mason any favors. While a few critics called the novel wholly original, many felt it courted every clich_

[Tamlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, but kind of slow in parts. I loved all the astronomy & physics, but the excruciating detail of the fix-it jobs in the plant was a bit too much. All in all, not terrible and an interesting take on the nuclear industry.

[Gerald Curtis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not read more than the first few pages. This author was new to me, but I took a chance because the topic of working in an atomic facility that goes awry interested me. However, the first few pages were so saturated with crude and vulgar language and topics that I could go no further.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story doesn't live up to it's title. I was very disappointed. There's not much in the story to call it a romance. Lots of science and scientific talk. The whole main storyline was kind of depressing (aging mother has a stroke, hospitals, nursing homes, problems at work, drunk friend, etc).

[Savvy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted to like this more than I did because the main character had a quirky sense of humor and provided some comic relief from the seriousness of the situation.

BUT...it rambled on and on in places with thoughts and info not relevant to the plot which made it somewhat boring.

[Kati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denial is what you are experiencing if you are an engineer in a nuclear plant whose father died in a work-related accident at the same plant.