Dad of Divas' Reviews: Book Review

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Book Review - Quick Fall of Light

About the Book
Spokane, Washington author Sherrida Woodley has written a very scary book that is also a love story filled with hope that captures the relationship between mankind, nature and survival.

In her new book Quick Fall of Light, she explores what happens to a world that is dealing with the increasing horrors of a global flu epidemic. Humanities only hope lies with a pigeon – a bird whose very existence is also threatened with extinction.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the great flu epidemic of 1918,” she said. “I wrote the novel, in part, because my grandmother survived it when so many died. The story explores something similar happening in modern times. To me I created a message of hope—of looking squarely at the history of disease and saying things will return to normal someday. That always, always there will be life.”

The bird in the story is America's passenger pigeon, historically extinct for almost 100 years. Yet, in Quick Fall, a colony has been harbored safely and secretly for many years in the Olympic Rain Forest of Washington State. It is here where the story begins, and the mystery of the bird's survival becomes the key to saving mankind.

Quick Fall of Light describes what it will be like for people to deal with the threat of a pandemic in very personal and credible terms. The story is set in the Olympic rainforest. The book is a suspense-filled mystery which seeks to convey the reality of what it is like to fear stepping out of your own house just to go to the grocery store or to listen to a news broadcast and hear the words "millions are already dead".

Woodley offers a captivating premise with intensely personal, well-developed characters. The story captures the trials and tribulations of beautiful woman fleeing the evil capitalists from big-pharmaceutical companies, helped by hard-driving self-less environmentalists and scientists, and who is loved by a good man.

It’s the little one pound bird that determines who lives … and who doesn’t…

My Take on the Book
I didn't know what to expect with this book, but I was completely taken in from the first to the last page. Though the book is shorter,it is not a "light" book. This book makes you think deeply about the issues being presented. I will say that at times there was so much description within this book that it was hard to concentrate on the larger plot at hand. This is not to say that I did not like the book, far from it. I simply found my mind wandering in some places when the description got a bit dense for my taste.

What had me hooked was the potential for such a pandemic to occur in our world today. The ideas presented within this book though fictitious could occur potentially. With this in mind, as a reader I was taken on a wild ride that allowed me to see and feel the desperation that some in the world could feel. I was a bit surprised as to how quickly people were willing to accept that this was going to happen, but it is a novel and it heightens some of the drama.

The book had some great characters and the plot was strong. I would highly recommend the book to all!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.