Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson is part historical fiction, part epistolary and part near futuristic tale. This is the story of three lives, separated by thousands of miles and multiple decades, and how their fates are intertwined.
Kansas, 2065. On an Earth that is slowly dying, Adri is one of the lucky few chosen to become a colonist on Mars. While waiting for her mission to leave, she goes to stay with an elderly distant cousin and uncovers the journal of a girl who lived in the house a hundred years ago. Adri becomes obsessed with learning what happened to the girl and as her mission approaches she becomes more and more desperate for the truth.
Oklahoma, 1934. Catherine and her family live during the heart of the Dust Bowl. The dust is an ever present threat and Catherine longs to escape. But her emotions become conflicted when she falls in love with her families farmhand. As the dust worsens and her sister’s life is threatened, Catherine must make a decision that will alter her life forever.
England, 1919. Following the First World War, Lenore is plagued by grief over her brothers death and plans to travel to America to follow her childhood friend who left before the war. But Lenore wonders if her friend will be the same after all these years. As she saves her money, Lenore stumbles upon a wounded soldier living in an abandoned house on her parents land. The two become fast friends and together they work to ease their pain.
This was an unexpected little gem of a book. I enjoyed it immensely and I think I will choose it when it is my turn to pick a book for my book club. This isn’t an action pack story, it’s actually quite a slow read but it doesn’t feel that way. I found myself wanting to follow the clues and find out happened to Catherine and Lenore and watch Adri choose her own path.
Each of the girls stories were unique and yet they were tied together in interesting and unique ways. Adri is fairly unsocial and almost brutally blunt. Catherine is strong willed and independent. And Lenore is hardworking, determined and utterly truthful. Among other things, the three girls are tied together by a tortoise called Galapagos.
This book is a young adult fiction, but it doesn’t really feel like young adult. I’m not sure how appealing it would be to that audience because it feels more mature even though our characters are themselves teens. I actually don’t have much else to say about this lovely little book, but I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing. I enjoyed this story and it was a wonderful read to pass the time. This book gets 4.5 stars from me.
That’s all for now!
-M-