A review by ljjohnson8
The Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley

4.0

H5N1 is devastating the planet and the reader sees it all through the experiences of one little family in Ohio. Buckley does a great job with immediacy; her reader can really feel the claustrophobia and isolation of quarantine, the backbreaking labor of living without modern conveniences, and the emotional exhaustion of constant vigilance. The breakdown of civilized society is slow and realistic, unlike many novels of the apocalyptic genre. She wrote a particulary effective epilogue, which added more to the story than a this-is-what-happened-to-everyone exposition. One last comment: this is further proof that my bird phobia isn't as unfounded as it appears. Highly recommended.