Memory Boy by Will Weaver- Book Review

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For the most part, natural disasters can be prepared for as there is some degree of warning beforehand, but those who have survived them will tell you that planning for the aftermath can be just as important. In Will Weaver's Memory Boy the Newell family finds themselves looking for a new home in the aftermath of an epic American natural disaster that has changed the western landscape as well as the fabric of the society. The Cascade mountain range has exploded with volcanic activity and has displaced more than a few thousand people, and those who once they were safe within the cities, start to migrate into the country in hopes of riding out a sketchy future as common necessities are becoming more expensive and once safe neighborhoods are subjected to looters attempting to hoard necessary supplies. Thankfully, Miles Newell has an excellent memory and relies on the testimony of an elderly man trapped in a nursing home named Kurt to lead him and his family to a safely hidden cabin deep in the north woods of Minnesota. While at first both Miles and Kurt were both unwilling generational-misfit-participants in a historical community research project and wanted nothing to do with one another, they form a strong bond based on Kurt's admiration of Miles mechanical abilities and Miles' esteem of Kurt's off-grid survival skills. It is Kurt's memories passed on to Miles, and Miles' faith in Kurt's memory and word, that will help the Newell family to safety and hope up in the North Woods. Along the way the Newells, who once only thought of themselves as a group of related persons, discover what it means to be a family that will be able to survive the uncertain future.

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I was directed to this excellent novel by @spencercoffman and was not disappointed. While the book is short in length, it resulted in a book hangover and I read the whole thing in one sitting without once checking the time. The details taken into account in this emergent dystopian novel, including how such an eruption would affect the climate in this region of the United States and how siblings relate to one another in close quarters, make the plot believable. The author effectively uses a flashback technique to recall memories and themes of generational/useful knowledge, constructive family development and moral values in the face of its absence are integral to the story. As the book is written from the point of view of a teenage boy of sixteen and focuses on a family, this adventure has the benefit of reaching a range of persons preteen and up! This is a book I would definitely add to my library and I would highly recommend it to those who enjoy reading end-of-the-world survival books, stories where knowledge of psychology is essential to survival skills, and about how society functions in emergencies. I also think it would be a great book for the teenage reader as the importance generational relationships and their value is a high priority in this novel.

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~Bookleaf~

Memory Boy

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