Stuart Evers

This book is about two soldiers that meet and become friends. Drum is a Ford factory worker from London. Carter went to Oxford and comes from a wealthy family. They are at a training center for nuclear weapons they have named, "Dooms Town." After they return to their other lives, Carter convinces Drum to change his life and become a farmer. He then has to convince his wife Gwen to make this change. Carter agrees to front the money on the property next to his house as long as he has his word that he will sell the property back to him if he leaves. The reader learns about Drum and Carter's kids and grandkids with their anxieties of war, their ups and downs. The book begins in the 50s and ends with the present time as they are old and reflect on their paths. It took me awhile to get interested in this book with the characters and then I couldn't put it down wondering what was next. Some of the parts brought back memories with the threat of nuclear bombs. I didn't like all the characters but I felt like I knew them well in the end.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.… (meer)

Story of a long-lasting friendship between two men, Drummond Moore and James Carter, who meet during their military service. They bond over shared experiences at Doom Town, a civil defense center that simulates situations related to nuclear war. They are from different classes and backgrounds. Drum works in a Ford factory near London. Carter is a wealthy landowner in northwest England. We follow their long-lasting friendship, relationships, marriages, and children from the late 1950s to the 2010s.

The plot is structured around worldwide events that induce fear, showing that just as one subsides, another takes over. The international events remain in the background, with the focus on the characters and their reactions. Evers brings fear down to the individual level. Carter and Drum plan to set up a bunker and stock it with end-of-civilization supplies. One of Drum’s primary motivations is keeping his family safe.

It is a slowly developing narrative. I enjoyed the literary writing style. The dialogue is particularly effective, though the prose is choppy in places. I appreciated the fictional news articles, inserted sporadically, that provide context for worldwide incidents and illuminate the characters’ stories from another perspective.

The premise of this book caught my attention. Evers examines fear, how it can permeate decisions, and the resulting harm to those we seek to protect. It seems like a pertinent topic for our times.

I received an advance reader’s copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
… (meer)

This book is about two soldiers that meet and become friends. Drum is a Ford factory worker from London. Carter went to Oxford and comes from a wealthy family. They are at a training center for nuclear weapons they have named, "Dooms Town." After they return to their other lives, Carter convinces Drum to change his life and become a farmer. He then has to convince his wife Gwen to make this change. Carter agrees to front the money on the property next to his house as long as he has his word that he will sell the property back to him if he leaves. The reader learns about Drum and Carter's kids and grandkids with their anxieties of war, their ups and downs. The book begins in the 50s and ends with the present time as they are old and reflect on their paths. It took me awhile to get interested in this book with the characters and then I couldn't put it down wondering what was next. Some of the parts brought back memories with the threat of nuclear bombs. I didn't like all the characters but I felt like I knew them well in the end.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.… (meer)