This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Available now!

A year has passed since the events of Life As We Knew It, Pfeffer’s first novel detailing the catastrophic aftermath of a meteorite hitting the moon. Miranda’s family has struggled to survive during this year, fighting off hunger, disease, and intense, dangerous weather. This World We Live In is again told in a diary format, from Miranda’s point of view.

Miranda, Matt, Jon, and her mother fight to maintain their sanity and health in their home, scavenging empty houses and wondering anxiously what happened to their father and his wife. Somehow, miraculously, Hal and Lisa survived and return home, with their new baby, plus 3 strangers, including Alex and Julie Morales (from companion novel, The Dead and the Gone). These newcomers disrupt, yet also enrich, the lives of Miranda’s family, as life on this shattered earth begins to move toward a brighter future, until one horrible event causes all of their plans to come shattering down in front of them.

Utterly depressing, morbid, and ever so sad, This World We Live In is haunting, with a melancholy beauty shaking with the last remains of hope for a broken world. This is yet again a title you won’t be able to put down, as every turn of the page creates another shocking event. Reading this, you want to believe that somehow, life on this world will become better for Miranda’s family. Where is the government? Where are the people to fix these problems? In reality, they don’t exist. The world has become a “everyone for themselves” existence, filled with dangers and secrets. With the arrival of Miranda’s father and company, life begins to change for her family. Till this point, they had been isolated, reaching and pulling back from their breaking point, so many times. New faces are a pleasure, yet also a nightmare in this environment where food and resources are scarce. Yet, the families band together to make the situation work, as once they are reunited, they can’t bear to separate again.

You’ll want to cry while reading this, as fate and fortune finds this family extremely unlucky. Despite a year having passed, disaster is unfortunately still too close to home, and you’ll finish this still wondering–what happens next? Is there any hope for this world?

Pfeffer’s work again exceeds all my expectations. This is a true dystopian novel and will appeal to many fans of that genre. This is a book that makes the reader think, and think again, and even rethink many things that we hold true in our privileged lives.

I recommend this for fans of The Hunger Games, Jeanne DuPrau’s City of Ember books, and Lois Lowry’s Giver books.

Digital copy received via NetGalley–thank you!

For More: Visit Susan Beth Pfeffer’s blog and also visit Amazon or Indiebound to purchase this book!

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