When a major CME (coronal mass ejection) is projected to knock out all power grids and cause a worldwide blackout, people scramble to “prepare" for the worst. This is a world that has survived the COVID pandemic but when the solar storm hits and results in a black sky event that could last months, maybe even years until power can be restored, it calls for a different level of preparedness.
While the affluent, like tech entrepreneur Thom Banning, pack their bags and proceed to a well-equipped bunker with a full staff, a “community” of carefully chosen people- cooks, yoga instructors, dentists, teachers and so on, his sister Aubrey gears up with her sullen stepson to stock food and other necessities in their fixer-upper in a cul-de-sac on Cayuga Lane in Aurora, Illinois. Her ex-husband Rusty is not making things easy for her, with his criminal connections to whom he owes money and his addiction issues, and his efforts to squeeze as much as he can from her. As the country (and the world) witnesses gradual infrastructural collapse, we see how people from different walks of life deal with a disaster that forces everyone to live off the grid. With the world in chaos , there is an overall rise in crime, vandalism and substance abuse. Aubrey's neighborhood bands together to develop community gardens to grow fruit and vegetables to combat dwindling food supplies and supplement whatever they are receiving through government- controlled food distribution systems also combining efforts to conserve and share water , standing by each other. Thom, self-assured on account of his wealth and confident in his foresight and survival strategy, learns that money cannot buy him loyalty and cooperation from the people around him. Aubrey’s neighbor, a retired renowned solar researcher who had been tracking the CME , uses his old school radio to keep track of what is happening throughout the world and his advice proves to be very helpful to their community.
David Koepp’s Aurora is a compelling novel with a cast of interesting characters and a plot that kept me engaged. The author combines dystopian elements with family drama, crime and suspense. Initially, the first few pages made me think that this would be a very heavy sci-fi read but after the initial explanation of the CME phenomenon, the story flows easily and doesn’t use too much technical jargon. I’m glad the author did not go into graphic descriptions of crime and despair which are common to dystopian novels and has limited the focus to family, siblings and community. Overall, I enjoyed this novel and would not hesitate to recommend it.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Many thanks to the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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