In Atomic Family, Cierra Horton McElroy weaves the inner workings of a young family with the scientific and social pressures of the times, illustrating the impact progress can have on humans at the micro level. Characters of varying ages are carefully drawn, each with his or her own unique view and stakes. This book is a force in its own right.

Special thanks to NetGalley for an advance review of this novel.

I'm a bit standoffish when it comes to historical fiction, but this is a chunk of time I've not read a lot about and am definitely not mad that I picked it up but also? This fell flat..

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for my copy of Atomic Family by Ciera Horton McElroy Narrated by Roman Howell; Megan Tusing in exchange for an honest review. It published February 28, 2023.
First off, excellent narration by both parties. Secondly, this book had me holding my breath right from the start. I've never read a book quite like this, and that's saying something. I found the ethical dilemma to be so important, and I could really feel the struggle. I found all the characters to be dynamic and interesting, and I found the ending to totally make sense for the book itself.

This is a story of a family in a small town in South Carolina who’s predominant enterprise is around a nuclear plant in the midst of the Cold War. This story has lingered with me and I continue to think about the characters. I enjoyed the different POVs and thought the author portrayed a interesting and uncommonly shown version of motherhood. I recommend this story in print. The audio narration was fine; however, there was a quality to it that pulled me out of the story. When I was listening to the story, I was hooked and didn’t want to stop; however, I didn’t feel drawn back to in when I was away from it and I think it had to do with the narration. 3.75 stars rounded up. Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I did not feel this book was well written nor was it what I’d expected it to be. So many glowing reviews praised its beauty and I am baffled by this. The characters felt corny, the story was dull, and the sexual content seemed deliberately inserted to make the book seem edgy, although it failed to actually embrace the edge.

I am immensely grateful to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for my audio copy. All opinions are my own.

The novel takes place in a small town of North Carolina in 1961 over the course of a day. We follow in turn 3 members of the Porter family: the father, Dean, is an engineer at the nearby atomic bomb plant, the mother, Nellie, is a housewife and mother who feels frustrated, invisible and perhaps unloved, and their son Wilson, 9 years old, totally indoctrinated and fascinated by the Cold War propaganda.

I chose this book on Netgalley because I was interested in that era and in the acute anxiety / paranoia that people lived in at that time. It’s interesting to contrast and compare with our own times’ anxieties.

I was interested in the dilemma the father faces with his work. I felt that he was full of nuances and could perhaps be compared to Don Draper in Mad Men (the early seasons are the only ones I watched). I was sad for the little boy’s troubled mind, as he’s too young to deal with the political messages that school and figures of authority repeat to him every day, and with the tangible clues around him (school drills, shelter, name tags) that nuclear war could kill them all any day. I didn’t warm up to Nellie. Her suburban depression and anxieties were nothing unexpected.

Spoiler alert ⚠️ My main problem with the book is that the one attempt Nellie takes to reclaim her voice, autonomy and freedom ends in the biggest tragedy that could be. I know that the author probably didn’t want to punish her on purpose, but in the end that’s what happens. Before that turning point I was merely disappointed by the distance I felt to the characters, but by the end I was actively annoyed, especially when the tragedy feels a bit random.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I received a free copy of this book for review consideration.

An interesting read from the atomic bomb portion of history. This is a time period that I’m not familiar with, so I enjoyed reading about how families were affected by various portions of the nuclear race.


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

DNFed at 49%.

Not sure if this book is just not my cup of tea or what, but I found it to be really boring. It’s very slice-of-life, so there wasn’t really any sort of plot line. None of the characters were engaging, so there wasn’t much to pull me in.

It also didn’t help that I didn’t care for the male narrator. The voices he used for kids didn’t sound like kids, and when he wasn’t narrating dialogue, he sounded very robotic.

I very much wanted to like this book, but I didn’t want to waste any more time on something I still wasn’t pulled into halfway through.

This was a fantastic story. It really packs a punch. I loved this book looks at nuclear pollution and its effect on a small town. It was interesting the way this fictional story was set. It's certainly is not your normal straightforward story. I lived its uniqueness. It was definitely a good strange story. There were certainly some great twists and many shocking turns. I loved that I failed to work out what was going to happen next. I listened to the audiobook and loved the narrators. They certainly brought out the great emotions and atmosphere that the book contained. I was certainly engrossed in this story. I loved that I was on the edge of my seat at times. 

So much praise goes out to the author, narrators and publishers for creating this interesting story. 
The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones ,Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/atomic-family-by-ciera-horton-mcelroy-tantor-audio-4-stars under my name ladyreading365

Format: audiobook ~ Narrator: Roman Howell; Megan Tusing
Content: 4 stars ~ Narration: 4 stars

One day in the life of a family from South Carolina, in the time of the Atomic age. Dean Porter is a soil scientist who works in a nuclear bomb plant. His wife, Nellie, is a housewife. She is unhappy and, like many other mothers in the neighborhood, concerned about the nuclear threat and doesn't want to live so near the plant. Their 9-year-old son Wilson often eavesdrops on adult conversations and reads pamphlets about nuclear threats and communism. He has a vivid imagination and includes all of this in his games.

Three POVs: Nellie, Dean, and Wilson. All are very good and distinct. Also, Wilson’s character is believable.

There are two narrators, Megan Tusing for Nellie and Roman Howell for Dean and Willson. Maybe it would be better if the narrator for Wilson would be someone younger.

Thanks to Tantor Audio for the ALC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

A gripping story of a marriage and a family. Set in South Carolina during the early 1960's, this novel is a very interesting exploration of that time and place, during the nuclear arms race. I appreciated the different perspectives found in this story and how it seems for a bit the events of the book will tear this family apart. But I was thankful for a hopeful and redemptive conclusion.

I was given a free copy of this book is audio format through NetGalley.

This book has a strong premise, but looses it at every stage of the implementation. It is set over one day, with flashbacks to complete the background. it keeps flashing back to the same three incidents, which gets pretty boring. What got really boring was a chapter with Wilson's fever dream of his town being nuked, followed by his father's dream. 20 minutes of dream sequences.

This book, coincidentally like my previous read, asks "how to good people do something about bad things in a world stacked against them". This is an interesting questions, but since I don't care for any of the characters, I don't care what happens to them.
There are two narrators, which is odd, since this book has three points of view. I didn't appreciate the overdramatic reading,
I guess I wrong-read this, because there are loads of positive reviews, but I found it grinding and tedious.

I was given a NetGalley widget for this one a year ago and I just got around to reading it and dangit it was so good. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have consumed this wildly relevant fictional tale, which felt not at all fictional, more like historical fiction, due to the times. The cover initially was what drew me in, but I'm so thankful to have stuck with it because the outcome was magical. I always love listening to audiobooks and when they sweep me off my feet, I'm just utterly captivated!

3.5 stars

A tale of the brutality and isolation of suburban American life. Very well written and constructed. This is excellent historical fiction.

[What I liked:]

•The father’s internal struggle with whether to blow the whistle or to try to chance the system from within (and knowing both are probably futile efforts) was poignant and relevant.

•All three MC’s have a palpable sense of claustrophobia and mounting dread over the course of the story. It’s really well paced and written. There is true horror (the poisoned ground water, the threat of nuclear annihilation), as well as a more subtle but no less real horror in the mundane details of mental illness, sexism, and societal expectations.

•The parts of the story told from the child’s view feel frighteningly real and intense. He’s suffering so greatly and his parents ignore him until it’s too late.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•Neither of the parents is a very sympathetic character, and all we get to know of the child is his tragic paranoia. Basically I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters as people.

CW: substance abuse, infidelity, domestic violence, child death, mental illness, child neglect

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

Audiobook
I enjoyed this audiobook. The time period and setting were interesting. I grew up in the 70s and found a lot of the cold war paranoia described in this novel to be similar to fears my generation also experienced. The setting was well-described and felt genuine. I could relate to it. Younger readers may also be able to experience the emotions of that time period through this author's storytelling.
The author developed the characters well. Each character's relationship with the cold war atmosphere was thoroughly explored. The author is actually too young to have experienced the cold war personally, so she performed respectable research to create this very realistic account.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Colleen Chi-Girl's review on Feb 25, 2023
It was amazing!
Bookshelves: 2023, audio, historical-fiction, netgalley, us-no-amer, carolina-s, education-teaching, faves, japan, ww2-holocaust, russia

Publisher: It’s November 1, 1961, in a small town in South Carolina, and nuclear war is coming. Nine-year-old Wilson Porter believes this with every fiber of his being. He prowls his neighborhood for Communists and studies fallout pamphlets and the habits of his father, a scientist at the nuclear plant in town. Meanwhile, his mother Nellie covertly joins an anti-nuclear movement led by angry housewives—and his father, Dean, must decide what to do with the damning secrets he’s recently uncovered at the nuclear plant. When tragedy strikes, the Porter family must learn to confront their fears—of the world and of each other.

My review: This debut novel is so well written and unputdownable, and both narrators made it completely realistic. It is based on a time in the early 1960's when the US was worried about nuclear bombing by the Soviets and therefore created its own hydrogen bomb facility in South Carolina in preparation during the 1950's.

It was so compelling from a character-driven standpoint, as well as historically fascinating. The parents of 9 year old, Wilson Porter, Nellie and Dean, seem to be polar opposites. Nellie is a stuck-at-home bored mother who has never really cared much about mothering even from the time Wilson was an infant, although she loves her boy. Dean served in the US Army in WWII big-time, was raised in this small town on a farm, and is a scientist at the local nuclear plant. He is becoming aware of some of the dangers of his work facility. The Porter family (and others) have already built an air-raid shelter in their yard, where Wilson enjoys playing out his fantasies about the Soviet bombing and his fears of knowing too much overheard information. He believes the bomb will be any day now. Dean knows the shelter will truly be worthless to them if there really is a bomb.

Suddenly, there is a horrible tragedy and it becomes even more prominent than the problems at the plant for Dean Porter, and we readers are sucked into it along with him. The relationships, friendships, and love between the characters are what become the most important things for the characters and for us.

This is an important novel about a frightening time in US history, full of governmental propaganda about nuclear fallout and protection.

Wonderfully narrated by Megan Tusing (the female voices) and Roman Howell (the male voices - and thank you for not using a fake young voice for 9 yr. old Wilson). These narrators made all the difference in a great audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio, and Ciera Horton-McElroy for this audio ARC edition. Expected publication: February 28, 2023

4.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this audiobook 

It’s November 1, 1961, in a small town in South Carolina, and nuclear war is coming. Ten-year-old Wilson Porter believes this with every fiber of his being. He prowls his neighborhood for Communists and studies fallout pamphlets and the habits of his father, a scientist at the nuclear plant in town.

Meanwhile, his mother Nellie covertly joins an anti-nuclear movement led by angry housewives—and his father, Dean, must decide what to do with the damning secrets he’s uncovered at the nuclear plant. When tragedy strikes, the Porter family must learn to confront their fears—of the world and of each other.

I loved this book and found it complemented by my recent read of The Half Life of Valery K another Historical Fiction book but at a Russian nuclear facility. The story of a family in 1961 America was eye opening and heart aching, such a period of fear and uncertainty between WWII and the Vietnam War. I could recommend this for anyone who wants a look back into time.

Oh my goodness what a plot - this was so addictive and thoughtful I really just needed to keep listening but I needed to take breaks to think about it. When I was growing up in Australia I remember the yellow peril and there was talk about bunkers etc but listening to the personal lives of people in the post bombing era and the McCarthy era was so fascinating and the impact on their psyche. The narration really suited it - both voices (just wish there was one for Wilson as well).

This is one of the best audio books have listened to for ages.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Thank you Tantor Audio and Netgalley for this audio. It was a speacail mix of Historical fiction and family drama. The story is really mostly taking part in 60s of last century. So different world. So different fears? But for real? No.. we still have same fears. A great debut, congratulations

The synopsis of Atomic Family by Ciera Horton McElroy appealed to me immediately. It sounded like the perfect blend of historical fiction and family drama - just the way I like it. I was especially excited about the 1960s timeframe because it’s a decade that gets skipped over in a lot of the historical fiction that I’ve been reading recently. The story is set in a small town in South Carolina with a nuclear bomb plant looming in it’s outskirts. Yikes, right? I honestly haven’t read much about the Cold War era, so it was refreshing to learn more about what life was like back then. As soon as I started listening, I really zeroed in on the style of the writing, and was pleasantly surprised by how impressive it was. The author obviously did her research.

If you do plan on reading Atomic Family, I highly recommend skipping the audio version, and sticking with the physical book itself. There’s a lot of timeline jumping that I found confusing while listening, and believe that I could’ve kept better track of if I had the print copy in front of me. Also, the voice of the male narrator was a little too drab and monotone for my liking. The female narrator was phenomenal though, and I found myself hoping and waiting for her turn to speak again.

Overall, I was impressed with this debut. The writing was solid, the pacing was on point, and the characters were well-developed. The middle felt a tad scattered and messy at times with the timeline hopping, but I’ll definitely try this author again in the future. I’m going with 3.5/5 stars for my rating, but honestly believe that it would’ve been higher if I read the physical book, rather than listened to the audio version. Atomic Family comes out on February 28th!