Although our new book Cataclysm Baby is a short novel, it packs a punch with its small doses of horror
with each chapter. The book shows what life is like generations after an apocalypse. The physical environment is
intolerable and toxic, including wet conditions and flooding. Birth defects
occur. People feel isolated. Parents participate in the
unthinkable.
As Steve
points out in his blog post, the author uses the premise of an apocalypse to
“catch a true glimpse of the kind of lives some in this world lead by contriving
an apocalypse.” Some chapters in the book are like the real events in New
Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit the city. Scenes of dead bodies floating in
flood water, abandoned cars, and people stranded on rooftops seem a direct
inspiration. Others include living conditions in the Superdome where
deaths occurred and the standoff at the Crescent City Bridge
People evacuating to the Superdome after Katrina
People stranded on a rooftop after Katrina
Dead body in floodwaters after Katrina
Like the
parents in the book, a doctor and nurses caring for patients at Memorial
Hospital after the hurricane resorted to acts that seem horrific. As flood water continued to rise around
the hospital, conditions for care became bleak. It became clear during patient
evacuation that not all of the patients could be transported, especially the very sick. As the remaining patients' health deteriorated and no
rescue was available, a well regarded doctor and two
respected nurses hastened the deaths of some of these patients by injecting
them with lethal doses of drugs. Mortuary workers eventually carried 45
corpses from Memorial.
Where is
the love in this book? There is none to be found, which probably breaks the
hearts of the sentimental faction of the PBR Book Club.
"Show Me Love"
No comments:
Post a Comment