Review: Life As We Knew It (Last Survivors #1) by Susan Pfeffer

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.


Told in journal entries, this is the heart-pounding story of Miranda’s struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all--hope--in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world.


Review:

Life as we Knew It by Susan Pfeffer was a deeply moving struggle for survival. The book opens as Miranda, the sixteen year old protagonist, watches with her family as an asteroid crashes into the moon and displaces it out of its orbit and towards Earth. This increases the moon’s gravitational pull and sets off tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanoes. Life as we Knew It, written in a diary format, is the story of how Miranda and her family survive in the aftermath of this terrible disaster.

I really enjoyed Life as we Knew It because it showed how lives could be changed in a single moment and the plans that people once had for their futures could become impossible. I found it realistic in the sense that it focussed on the day to day worries of having enough food and water; things that are taken for granted. I enjoyed reflecting on this issue as I was fasting at the time I was reading this book as it was Ramadhan. Though Miranda's family have stockpiled everything they need, they ration everything so that it can last as long as possible. They are better off than others however and I wish that more less-fortunate people had been shown.

One of the saddest moments for me is when Miranda is so (understandably) hungry that she goes into the seemingly overflowing pantry and eats from a pack of chocolate chip cookies. The resulting confrontation with her mother was terrible to read as Miranda’s actions not only hurt herself, but the rest of her family. However, by the end of the book, Miranda has grown up and she becomes selfless.

I liked all the characters. Miranda was lucky to have such a brilliant family. The focus of the book was on food and family, however her friends do play a part. Miranda’s friend Sammi leaves the area with an older man to try to find a better place and her other friend Megan prays to God to help save them all. I found Megan’s story really troubling as she was starving herself and thought this issue could have been explored further. Also, the Church wasn’t shown in a good light.

I think that the asteroid hitting the moon should have been taken more seriously by the world. Asteroids probably hit the moon often, but this one was really big and could be seen with the naked eye. The scientists should have had some clue as to what could (and did) happen and made sure there were contingency plans in place. Of course, it wouldn’t save everyone, but some good would have come out of it.

Also, I really thought people would try to break into Miranda's home and steal food but this did not happen. Furthermore, it seemed unrealistic that people would allow the family of the deceased to go through the relative's house first and take everything they wanted, as when you are starving and on the verge of death, manners are the furthest thing from your mind.  

 Other than that, I really enjoyed reading Life as we Knew It and look forward to reading the next book, The Dead and The Gone. I would recommend this to those who like to read post-apocalyptic books, diary format books and books about the environment. You could also read this if you liked Children of the Dust.

Book Rating: 5/5
Concept: 5/5
Cover Rating: 5/5

Author: Susan Pfeffer