Revivalists

Bill and Penelope have survived the disaster that swept the globe after the Shark Flu, a sickness that rose from the thawing Icelandic permafrost. The social order has collapsed, but the couple have started to rebuild a life among the ruins. They grow food in a garden where the lawn used to be and drag a mattress in front of the living room fireplace to stay warm. Bill's psychology practice still operates, though his few remaining clients pay for sessions with cans of food.

One day their daughter's voice comes through the kitchen radio, announcing that she has joined a cult in Bishop, California, roughly three thousand miles away. Bill and Penelope leave everything behind and set out across the broken remains of the country to bring her home. Their trip takes them through communities scattered across the continent.

The landscape has changed beyond recognition, yet the fears and hopes of this small family stay the same. Christopher M. Hood's debut novel blends horror, dark humor and tenderness in a portrait of a marriage and a world under extraordinary strain, and its tone is ultimately hopeful.