Five Novels With an Earthquake in the Plot
Fictional Quakes Occur in Different Settings and Time Frames
Sep 30, 2009
In the following novels, at least one earthquake serves as the setting. One is written for children, one is science fiction, two are historical and one is just a plain old-fashioned adventure story.
The Trembling Hills, by Phyllis A. Whitney
Written fifty years after the famous San Francisco earthquake, this novel tells the story of Sara, who follows handsome Ritchie Temple to San Francisco, thinking that she can win him away from Judith. The tale of romance is interrupted by an earthquake and tempered with the discovery of an old “skeleton in the closet” of a Victorian mansion; this novel has “all the elements of emergence from adolescence to maturity”, according to Booklist. Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1956. No ISBN issued
Fault Lines, by Kate Wilhelm
An independent seventy-year old Emily Carmichael lies trapped in the rubble of an earthquake. Her isolated cottage had been hit and she found herself alone with only her memories. She remembers hearing about her intrepid grandfather and his adventures during the Great California Gold Rush. According to Booklist, “the novel’s force lies in the strength of Emily’s character as she survives a series of physical, emotional and financial setbacks with indomitable spirit and very human reactions”.
Harper & Row, 1977. No ISBN issued
Quake, by Joe Cottonwood
This juvenile novel was written in 1996 and based on the 1989 Loma Prieta quake in California. It tells the story of fourteen-year-old Fran, who is at home with her younger brother and an old friend she hardly remembers when the quake hits. Written for the 4th to 8th grade crowd, it chronicles the adventures of the three children in the aftermath of the disaster. They “lift a Volkswagen off a neighbour, turn off combustible propane tanks and help at the school emergency shelter”, according to Booklist.
Scholastic, 1996. ISBN 978-0590-222334
Richter 10, by Arthur C. Clarke and Mike McQuay
This novel is science fiction sprinkled with a dose of physics and astronomy. It is set in the year 2024, when Lewis Crane attempts to put nuclear power to work in eliminating earthquakes off the face of the earth. Crane’s parents had been killed by a quake way back in 1994 and he was still trying to make sense of that senseless thing called Mother Nature. Publisher’s Weekly calls it a “moving, convincing and engrossing yarn”.
Spectra, 1997. ISBN 978-0553573336
Amazing Grace, by Danielle Steele
The lives of four strangers come together in an intricately woven tapestry as Steele takes the reader through one year in their lives. A wealthy matron, an alcoholic photographer, a famous singer and a nun are thrown together after an earthquake and find themselves faced with all sorts of opportunities as well as dilemmas. Publisher’s Weekly calls it a “sparkly story with an uplifting spiritual twist”. .
Dell, 2008. ISBN 978-0-440-24327-4
Earthquakes and their resulting fires, tsunamis and floods loom over us all in these turbulent times. These fictional accounts help us escape into the realm of the imaginary while remembering the inevitability of the next Big One. When will it hit, and where?
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