Emmy Laybourne's debut novel opens at a breakneck pace and rarely lets up, as 14 students try to survive a series of cataclysmic events while trapped--or safely sequestered, depending on how one looks at it--inside a Greenway superstore in Monument, Colorado.
A hailstorm strong enough to break windows causes career bus driver Mrs. Wooly to purposely steer her vehicle through the glass doors of a superstore in order to keep her passengers safe. Laybourne constructs the novel as a journal written by 11th-grader Dean Grieder, whose younger brother, Alex, also makes it to safety. Dean's keen perceptions quickly orient readers to the cast of characters. There's Jake, the star quarterback and "king of the beautiful"; Brayden, his teammate, who constantly brags that his father works for NORAD; Astrid, champion diver, and apple of Jake's eye, as well as Dean's; Niko, whom they call "Brave Hunter Man"; and Josie, with whom Dean campaigned for now-president Cory Booker. Most of the action plays out among the high school kids, but Laybourne gives each character--including the younger children--distinct personalities.
A volcanic eruption has set off a mega-tsunami, which triggered the hailstorm and an earthquake, and released chemical weapons from NORAD into the atmosphere. The chemicals affect people differently, depending upon their blood types--which may seem like a stretch, but Laybourne drives home the potential threat the chemicals could have on them all. The author also gets the dynamics of a group trapped together just right. Love triangles emerge; a sexy 13-year-old girl gets in over her head; Niko and Jake vie for the leadership role. Dean embodies the conflicting impulse of wanting to stay alive and also wishing to check out by raiding the store's alcohol and pharmaceutical supplies. All of the characters must go through their process of accepting that their families may not have survived. Several adults also attempt to gain entrance to Greenway, and the older members of the group must decide if it's safe to let the outsiders in--and they make one tragic mistake.
Laybourne's realistic depictions of the psychologies of her characters and the gamut of emotions that come into play in such extreme circumstances place this a cut above most entries in the dystopic genre. Readers will hope for many more from this talented author. --Jennifer M. Brown
Shelf Talker: A mega-tsunami triggers a leak of chemical weapons, forcing a group of students to take refuge in a superstore.