Beastmomma

From goodreads: 

On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow. The days and nights grow longer and longer, gravity is affected, the environment is thrown into disarray. Yet as she struggles to navigate an ever-shifting landscape, Julia is also coping with the normal disasters of everyday life—the fissures in her parents’ marriage, the loss of old friends, the hopeful anguish of first love, the bizarre behavior of her grandfather who, convinced of a government conspiracy, spends his days obsessively cataloging his possessions. As Julia adjusts to the new normal, the slowing inexorably continues.

Pages: 273 (Hardcover)

Rating: 6 out of 10

Source: Checked out from the library

Date Completed: December 20, 2012

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker was the December selection for the Partners and Professors book club.  I did not know much about the book, but had seen the name on several lists for good reads.  The best description I have came from a fellow book clubber who said that the book is both a coming of age and an end of the world story.  Julia, the narrator, goes through some typical teenage stuff including her first crush and changing relationship with her parents.  The unique part of the book is that her teenage years unfold against the backdrop of the world coming to an end. 

I wanted to like the book more, but found that the story dragged.  There were many allusions to something grand coming at the end of the story.  Unfortunately, I found that it just puttered out. I wanted more of the world coming to an end piece instead of teenage drama.  Several story lines did not end well which added to my frustration.  During book club we were trying to figure out why the book was on so well received and we concluded that it was an interesting premise.  For me, the premise did not live up to the promise.