Tilt by Emma Pattee

This thriller covers the events of a single day, from the point of view of Annie, who is very pregnant. On her first day of maternity leave, Annie drives to Ikea on the east side of Portland to buy a crib for her baby, nicknamed Bean. Ikea employee Taylor, while definitely not a model employee, helps cranky Annie find the crib and get out of the store when The Big One hits Portland. The author researched what might happen if a major earthquake hit Portland, Oregon, and the answers were not encouraging.

Annie walks and walks west through Portland (a detailed map is included) to reach her husband Dom. Sometimes she gets a ride. Throughout her journey, Annie tells her life story to baby Bean in flashbacks, focusing on her relationship with Dom, her mother, parenting classes, prenatal yoga, and their money woes. Annie meets many other people along the way, including a few she knows. She traverses a golf course, a large park, bridges, and a school, seeking to reach the café where Dom works. Hot, thirsty, and of course, pregnant, Annie occasionally gets a drink or a snack, but is driven to find her husband. Dom has bonded more with the baby, and Annie worries about whether she’ll be a good mom. Annie is hard on herself, but is clear on her goals in the end. Poignant and sometimes gritty, this first novel is compelling and hard to forget.

Brenda