Hey everyone, welcome to the show. Great to be
here. So think about this. The world you know
can just flip in an instant. What's normal becomes
chaos and suddenly you're face to face with the
really raw parts of being human. That's a powerful
way to put it and it definitely sets the stage
for what we're diving into today. Exactly. We're
talking about Tilt by Emma Paddy. It's contemporary
fiction and it really throws you right into that.
kind of moment. It really does. Tilt basically
drops you into Portland, Oregon with Annie. She's
pregnant, just doing a totally normal thing,
buying a crib at Ikea. Right. The most mundane
setting. The most mundane. And then, bam, this
huge earthquake hits. The whole story unfolds
right there from her perspective in the immediate
aftermath. So you're seeing the chaos, the loss.
Her desperate to find her partner, Dom. Exactly.
It's very focused, very ground level. You're
experiencing it with her, not just watching it
happen. Yeah, that's one of the things I absolutely
love. The way Patti captures the quake itself
and like how it shatters everyday life. Yeah.
It felt so visceral, you know, that feeling of
being in Ikea surrounded by flat pack furniture
and then just utter chaos. You felt that confusion.
Definitely. And she does such a good job. connecting
that huge event to Annie's inner world. It's
not just about the buildings falling down. No,
not at all. It's about her fears about becoming
a mother, her relationship stuff, things from
her past bubbling up. It makes the whole disaster
feel incredibly personal. Did that aspect stand
out to you too? Oh, absolutely. Staying so close
to Annie, you feel the weight of everything she's
going through physically and emotionally. It's
intense. Right. But what also really... Hit home
for me were these moments, these unexpected connections.
Even in the middle of all that mess, you see
people helping each other. Little sparks of humanity.
Yeah, those moments are crucial, aren't they?
Like little points of light. It shows that even
when everything's collapsing, that need for connection,
for support, it's still there. Totally. Her interactions
with other survivors, even the brief ones, they
really underscore that. Makes you think. It does.
How people react under that kind of extreme pressure.
Now, okay, if I had to mention something I maybe
didn't love quite as much, and this is really
just me. Go on. Sometimes, Annie's internal thoughts,
her inner monologue, it felt almost a bit much.
Like, really intense. Ah, okay. I see what you
mean. Because you're so deep inside her head.
Sometimes I felt like the wider picture, the
scale of the disaster outside her immediate bubble,
kind of faded a little. What's your take? That's
a fair point. I think it's kind of the tradeoff
the author makes, you know. Yeah. By keeping
that focus so tight on Annie, you get that incredible
immediacy, that raw feeling. But like you said,
you maybe lose some of the breath seeing how
it's hitting everyone else right there. Right.
It's a narrative choice. Exactly. A deliberate
one, I think. And sort of related maybe some
of the other characters. They're important to
Annie's journey, like Gretchen, Dom's colleague.
I just found myself wishing we got a little more
from them. A bit more development, maybe see
their own experiences a bit more clearly. Yeah,
I can see that. Giving them more space could
have painted a perhaps richer picture of the
overall impact. Right. But again, keeping it
focused on Annie really hammers home that feeling
of individual struggle, that sort of primal need
to find your people when disaster strikes. Her
story becomes the emotional anchor. Yeah, that
makes sense. Overall, though, wow. Tilt is just,
it's a really powerful book. Sticks with you.
Definitely. I'd easily give it four out of five
stars. It just nails how something catastrophic
can strip everything away. Yeah. And show you
what people are really made of, the vulnerability
and the resilience. Absolutely. It forces you
to think, you know, beyond just the physical
damage, what happens to relationships, to your
priorities when the ground literally shifts beneath
you. Yeah. What really matters in that moment.
So if this deep dive into tilt sounds interesting.
If you want to experience Annie's story yourself,
we've put a link to buy the book on Amazon down
in the description. Definitely worth the read.
And hey, if you enjoyed this chat, please give
us a like and subscribe. That way you won't miss
our next deep dive. We appreciate the support.
Seriously, thanks so much for joining us today.
We'd really love to hear from you all. Was there
a moment in our discussion today that particularly
resonated? Or maybe something from the book itself,
if you've read it. Yeah. Share your thoughts
or favorite takeaways in the comments below.
And feel free to share this discussion with anyone
else who might be interested. Let's keep talking
about tilt and the themes it brings up.