Book Review: THE AGE OF MIRACLES by Karen Thompson Walker

This is a re-post of my Goodreads review for the benefit of my non-Goodreads readers.

What if the Earth’s rotation started to slow? That’s the basic premise of THE AGE OF MIRACLES, a novel that relates the life of an eleven-year-old girl, her family, friends, and neighbors, as their world is turned upside down by something as simple as the Earth slowing down. The days lengthen, causing long periods of light and darkness, increases in extreme temperatures, changes in gravity, and myriad spin-off effects. Ripples both in physics, and in life. Relationships turn, and the shape of society begins to change. It’s a lot for a young girl to cope with, especially when she’s only just learning to grapple with the changes going on in her personal life.

Let me start by warning prospective readers that this is not a light-hearted book. The premise is an interesting one to explore, and using the narrative of someone living through it gives meat and depth to what would otherwise be thought-provoking, and yet abstract speculation. The book is well-written, and really draws you into a world which is both familiar, and also frighteningly surreal. I’m no scientist, but the changes she describes are told with sufficient credibility that I’m willing to accept them, at least for the sake of the novel. They certainly work within the bounds of the narrative. Karen does a great job of showing the strained relationships, and the stresses that are caused by the daily increase of minutes. If you’re prone to being emotionally invested in a story, have a box of tissues handy.

I would almost give this five stars, but I was irritated by the depiction of religion. Clearly the author favors science, and there’s a very clear “rational science” vs. “irrational religion” undertone. The scientists are trying to find a solution, while the religious people are running around declaring the end of the world. Even the most reasonable religious character shuns her old friends and hangs out only with fellow Mormons. I’m not denying things like this would happen, but there would be as many Christian, Muslim, etc. scientists trying to help, and there would be many churches that would be opening their doors to those in need, not shouting “we told you so!” In all honesty, Karen could have left out any mention of religious groups and it wouldn’t have affected the story.

While the main character in the book is 11, this is definitely not a middle grade novel. The story is told by Julia, the girl, at a later date, looking back on these events. So the perspective and insight is that of a 20-something year old. I would say this is for YA and older. There are some instances of profanity, though not a lot. Mostly s-words with some f-words. Otherwise I would recommend this as a stimulating read.