Tilt
A Novel
by Emma Pattee
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date Mar 25 2025 | Archive Date Mar 31 2025
Simon Element | S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books
Description
A USA TODAY Bestseller
Set over the course of a single day, an electrifying debut novel from “a powerful new literary voice” (Vogue) following one woman’s journey across a transformed city, carrying the weight of her past and a fervent hope for the future.
Last night, you and I were safe. Last night, in another universe, your father and I stood fighting in the kitchen.
Annie is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib at IKEA when a massive earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. With no way to reach her husband, no phone or money, and a city left in chaos, there’s nothing to do but walk.
Making her way across the wreckage of Portland, Annie experiences human desperation and kindness: strangers offering help, a riot at a grocery store, and an unlikely friendship with a young mother. As she walks, Annie reflects on her struggling marriage, her disappointing career, and her anxiety about having a baby. If she can just make it home, she’s determined to change her life.
A propulsive debut, Tilt is a primal scream of a novel about the disappointments and desires we all carry, and what each of us will do for the people we love.
Advance Praise
"Tilt is a swift, exhilarating punch to the gut, the most embodied twenty-four hours of narrative I can remember reading. Through the eyes of the prickly, funny, and very pregnant narrator, we viscerally experience the surreal, unbearable, comic, and beautiful ways that humans behave in a crisis. The Road meets Nightbitch meets What to Expect When You're Expecting. I loved this novel." —Lydia Kiesling, author of The Golden State and Mobility
"An epic natural disaster adventure story starring a pregnant woman on a mission. A nuanced, stark, tender portrait of a marriage. A tale of destruction and loss punctuated by surprising moments of empathy. Emma Pattee’s debut novel Tilt manages to be all of the above, and more. Equal parts heart-wrenching and life-affirming, this riveting book made me laugh, cry, and think. I couldn’t put it down." —Helen Phillips, author of Hum and The Need
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781668055472 |
| PRICE | $27.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 240 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Clare E, Librarian
I zipped through this book, it is a page turner for sure!
As Annie makes her excruciating way through the rest of her day after a massive earthquake hits while she is deliberating which crib to buy in IKEA, we are carried along and feel each moment as it happens.
The book goes between the recent past of Annie’s life and pregnancy and the day of the earthquake to dramatic effect.
This is a great book and would be a good book club read as there is much to talk about, not least the ending which is sure to encourage a few opinions!
Sharon M, Reviewer
Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster, Simon Element, Marysue Rucci Books for gifting me a digital and physical copy of this debut book by Emma Pattee. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!
Annie is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib at IKEA when a massive earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. With no way to reach her husband, no phone or money, and a city left in chaos, she realizes there’s nothing to do but walk. Making her way across the wreckage of the city, Annie experiences desperation and kindness from strangers. As she walks, she reflects on her life.
Be forewarned – this is a total gush review because I could not have loved this book more. And it’s a debut? Even more astonishing. Because this book will make you FEEL – in all capitals – all the feelings about pregnancy, motherhood, marriage, grief, life, love. I adored the way it played out – we get the current events over the course of one day as Annie experiences the big earthquake, then interspersed are the chapters that let us see how Annie got to that day and point in her life. It’s funny, scary, sad, hopeful. It’s a must read!
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