Karen Thompson Walker takes a fundamental truth that humans have taken for granted, introduced a single change, and from that single premise she reveals just how fragile our human existence really is. The Age of Miracles is being touted as a coming of age book, but in some ways it is also a science fiction book–with the fiction being quite believable; Walker did an excellent job of building a plausible situation. The storyline arch is very subdued and liberally sprinkled with foreshadowing and hints at the uncertain future of the human race. Narrarated by Julia, a sixth grader, the story is in first person, but it is related in retrospect, in the voice of an older and wiser observer.
The book’s tone was poignant and melancholy without quite crossing to depressing. Although it is not a light read, it is an easy read due to the lovely voicing. Overall The Age of Miracles was a thoughtful book and would probably be a good one for book clubs, as it inspires reflection.
Book received from the Publisher
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 17 religious exclamations; 6 mild obscenities; 3 religious profanities; 1 derogatory name; 18 scatological words; 3 f-word derivatives.
Violence/Gore: Report of a person being shot and killed; death of animals; injured baby bird flung over ravine by boy; car accident resulting in a death; report of deaths and suicides by an extremist group; natural disaster resulting in the destruction of property; crash resulting in death; injury by sunburn; report of a death by a fall.
Sex/Nudity: Reference to training bras and teasing; reference to a girl’s mother’s appearance as sexy, etc.; boy pulls up a girl’s shirt to see if she is wearing a bra (she is not); a few incidences of kissing/hand-holding; an individual is having an affair (no details); dialogue referring to a boy’s “thing”; unmarried couple are living together; young teens watch a “German sex scene” on TV (no details).
Mature Subject Matter:
Natural disasters; death; family relations; infidelity; discrimination.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
There are rumors at the middle school about who smokes marijuana. Adults drink beer and alchohol on occassion. Report of a teen smoking. Rumors about drug dealers. A minor-aged character drinks wine. Young teenagers (11-13) drink beer at a party. College kids smoke.
