before we begin today’s book club discussion on the first half of “life as we knew it,” i’d like to take a moment to appreciate the fact that THE MOON IS DOING OK. as is the east coast, in that it STILL EXISTS.
also who wants to go on a canned good shopping spree after this?
alright book clubbers, here’s a summary of the first half of the book to jump start yr memory in case you read it a while ago and/or possibly blocked all traces of it from yr brain because the though of wearing thermal underwear in september is too damn terrifying:
so, there’s this asteroid heading for the moon, and instead of NASA taking the appropriate precaution, i.e. hiring a ragtag team of oil drillers, everyone treats it as a big excuse for a block party. but then the asteroid totally NAILS the moon and pushes it closer to earth, which causes tsunamis and exploding volcanoes and basically the world is fucked (sorry, but if there’s every a time to use the f bomb, this is it). miranda records all of this in her diary as her family prepares for the worst. by the end of the first half, the following has happened:
- miranda’s dad and his wife lisa have come to visit and then proceeded south.
- miranda has said good-bye to dan, her almost bf; megan, a “saved” mandy moore wannabe; and sammi, the girl who always liked older guys but WHAT HE’S 40!
- all of the main characters, including horton the kitty, are still alive. for now. GAH I CANNOT HANDLE THIS.
now let’s get to the character questions! per yooj, feel free to answer all of the questions or pick one. i’ll be posting two more entries on semantics (talky talky, bonus factors, plot) and drama in real life (how this book relates to you) for further discussion.
- who would you invite to sit with you in the caf?
- who do you most want to face punch?
- on scale of 1-100%, how much cooler is miranda’s mom than miranda?
- who do you think will die first?
grab yrself a bottle of wine before it becomes a precious commodity (well, alcohol is ALWAYS precious to us, but you know what i mean) and LET US CONVO.
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OH MY LORD I NEED TO FACE PUNCH MEGAN SO BADLY. i mean, look, i was a youth groupie back in HS. i get it. but just because you love god and listen to dc talk all day does NOT give you the right to constantly talk about how much yr friends are going to hate kicking it in the eternal hellfire.
it’s really too easy to hate megan, and for that i blame pfeffer. i mean, she’s so one-dimensional! does anyone REALLY talk like this all of the time? and, if so, do they still have ANY FRIENDS? maybe that’s the most unrealistic part for me– that miranda would continue to even talk to this person. it’s a good thing megan’s starving herself so she’s too weak to start throwing bibles.
Noooooooooo I read this soooo long ago (well, two weeks, but doesn’t that FEEEEL like forever?!) so hopefully I can still remember my FEELINGS.
1. I would definitely hang out with Sammi. Miranda could hang out, I guess but only if she brought her hottie college freshmeat bro (Matt?!) along with her. Her lil’ bros a cool kid too, but maybe too young for lunchroom hang outs.
2. Megan, obvy, but that’s too easy. A lot of times Miranda, Miranda’s mom, Miranda’s dad and stepmom. Honestly, they all at times handle this whole thing in such ABSURD ways that I get annoyed.
3. ummm…60%. Miranda’s mom is brave for not falling apart but she’s really annoying sometimes. Especially when every time the power goes back on SHE WANTS TO VACUUM AND DO THE LAUNDRY. WTF IS WRONG WITH HER, seriously. I vacuum like, once every six months, I’m a dirty mo-fo. Which is why I can’t imagine using precious energy and DIRT AND HAIR REMOVAL. Ridiculous.
4. I can’t answer this BECAUSE I READ THE WHOLE THING but I will say that while reading I was CONSTANTLY terrified that Horton would die. Because I feel like lots of scary/dangerous movies or books introduce a pet JUST SO THEY CAN KILL IT AND MAKE US SAD.
4. I can’t answer it either for the same reason, but the whole time during these pages I kept thinking, THEY ARE GOING TO KILL THE CAT. THEY ARE GOING TO KILL THE CAT. And then when they didn’t do THE WORST THING THEY COULD DO, I wondered…in this horrible, dark part of myself…Um, in REAL life, how long would this cat last? And found my eyes straying over to my QUITE ROTUND feline companion.
I so wanted a piece of Pfeffer right then!
megan, you are so right re: #3. i mean, i’m all about having clean underwear but CLEAN CARPET? DURING THE APOCALYPSE? although i imagine that this is exactly what martha stewart would do if the world ever came to an end. i mean, she’s martha stewart. what else could she do? oh wait, well, besides purchasing a ticket on spaceship like all of the other billionaires.
and yeah, matt is the only character who i would actually ask to sit with me in the caf. and/or make out.
I have to talk about the cat here. Look – I love cats. I have 2 and I post pics of them every Tuesday on my blog. But if that fictional kitty were running free in a land where people were starving to death…he’d be TOAST. That is all.
omg, i had the same issue as your #3. i kept wondering why she was using the dryer to dry clothes when they had a perfectly good clothesline.
i feel like miranda’s mom is a major beeyotch, but i’m sure it’s because the whole book is written like a 16-y0′s diary, and what 16-yo DOESN’T think their mom is a major beeyotch?
2. i kind of want to face-punch the dad. i mean, i can see that it would be a tough call… stay near my kids or go off with my pregnant wife to find her parents? but regardless, i was kind of pissed that he left miranda and her brothers. bad choice.
no, you’re absolutely right, jessica, miranda’s dad is a total dick. i loved the part when he was all, “hey, miranda, we haven’t spent much time together, so let’s talk for two minutes and then i’m going to leave you and never see you again.” and by loved i mean IT MADE ME STABBY.
Yeah seriously. Especially because it is OBVIOUSLY MENTAL to go and try and travel cross state/find relatives in this post-A scenario. He has kids to think of and instead he’s indulging in wifey’s stupid pipe dream of finding her parents.
The new preggers wife is very annoying. Face reality! There is little chance you are ever going to find your parents in this mess. Give it up!!
1. I would for sure ask Mrs. Nesbitt to sit with me in the caf. She seems like the right kind of neighbor — a part of your life, but not super nosy & all up in your business. She also seems like a pretty cool customer with all the sh*t that’s going down. I also love her saying “I’m old so I probably won’t live through this, but you’re young & have lots of life ahead of you” (or something along those lines). I like the fact that 1) she’s a realist; and 2) there’s no self-pity going on there.
2. I thought I wanted to face punch Megan the most, but when I re-think it I think I’m gonna have to give that honour to Sammi’s parents. I mean, HELLO, I know it’s the end of the world and all but to sell off your 16 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER to some pervy 40-year old is just COMPLETELY DISGUSTING and so NOT ON in my books. Yes you could make the argument that they just want her to survive, but come on…you KNOW they know that the dude’s interest in their daughter is skeezy. I mean, WHAT KIND OF PARENTS ARE THESE PEOPLE??? Ugh. Dan’s parents sent him off too but they gave him a motorcycle for godsakes, instead of fobbing him off to become some love slave to a creepy older dude. Sammi’s line about George “requiring a lot of attention” or “keeping her busy” or something like that that just made me want to lose my lunch y’all.
3. I kind of appreciate Miranda’s mom b/c I am totally the type of person who would run out & buy as much canned food as possible if/when anything like this ever happens. OK let’s be honest here I am even considering going out and buying canned food now JUST IN CASE. I already tried to figure out how much we could fit into our basement. She’s a bit hard line, but I like how she went straight into survival mode as soon as it was clear that things were going VERY wrong. I feel like she’s someone I’d like to have on my team in a war or whatnot. Like, my husband and I play this game where you have to pick who would be in your platoon if you were suddenly dropped into the middle of the Vietnam War. It has to be people you know in real life (not celebrities). It’s kind of fun because you get to talk about which of your friends you think would just surrender immediately, and which ones would turn out to be super stealth assassins, and which ones would just go completely Kurtz-style loco and LOSE THEIR SHIT entirely (not always a bad person to have on your side). ANYWAY, I would totes want Miranda’s mom in my platoon.
4. I think Jonny’s gonna die first. I’m sorry to say it b/c he’s a sweet kid, but it’ll just be so gut-wrenching for everyone else that Pfeffer’s bound to throw it in there to ratchet up the tension/drama/horror.
1. I forgot about Mrs Nesbitt!!! Yeah, she’s a pretty cool lady.
2. Seriously, good call.
3. I can’t stand that Miranda acts like her mom’s being loco buying canned food THE DAY AFTER HALF THE WORLD DIES. Seriously?? Like, my freaking AUNT stocked up on canned goods/weird shit before Y2K (wish I were joking) and Miranda’s eye-rolling over even though HALF THE WORLD IS DEAD???
good pull on sammi’s parents! i totally forgot how crappy they were. i might have to change my answer from megan to sammi’s parents immediately.
Megan (no h), that cracks me up about your aunt — not that I’m laughing AT her, only b/c I can relate. We had the whole swine flu scare debacle going on here in the fall. I live in Toronto, Canada, and the government totally did not have enough of the vaccine on hand and people were losing their shizz and lining up for like 20 hours to get vaccinated. Anyway, my dad was like totally prepared to move up to our cabin in Northern Ontario which is on an island, AND he also started suggesting that maybe we should all start wearing face masks at work & stuff…and as much as I can get a bit paro too I was like “NO WAY am I wearing a face mask at work”.
p.s. he was also v. v. worried about Y2K. And has installed about 16,000 anti-virus softwares on my computer to the point that it’s so slow I can barely do anything on it. I am typing this from work.
HAHAHAHA, that’s awesome! My aunt IS a bit of a cray cray but I suppose I know who to go to if shit gets real.
Swine Flu drove me NUTS because my mom is an epidemiologist and she was CONVINCED that it would be a pandemic (mostly because I truly believe she WANTS us to go through a pandemic). I’m normally super pro-vaccinations except I never get flu ones, I think out of spite for my mother.
oh man, I sooo do not want to hear that the experts (like yr mom) are convinced that pandemics are imminent
OK since you have the inside scoop, you gotta warn me early if there’s another one and it turns out to be the “BIG” one they’ve all been waiting for. I will immediately don my face mask (provided by my dad — actually he gave us each, like, 20) and run out to the store to stockpile canned goods. In exchange you can come stay with us in our remote cabin on an island in Lake Huron until the pandemic is over!! Deal? 
That sounds like the PERF place to avoid most major apocalyptic scenarios! Consider me there! (unless it’s an ice age lol)
ha! My dad purchased/obtained (possibly not legally) several 200-gallon drums of water in preparation for Y2K, which he then stored in my parents’ garage, much to the chagrin of my mother. He also purchased an obscene number of MREs (meals ready to eat) from the Army Supply store. “Don’t worry, guys,” he’d say. “I’ve got us covered!
Of course, Y2K never happened, and my mom forced him to give away the water drums to shelters. He refused to part with his MREs though, and to this day, TEN YEARS LATER, he still eats them and claims that they’re good. Anytime a hurricane comes around (every other year or so), he tries to make me stock up on them in advance.
HAHAHAHA that is so awesome. Okay, I’m gonna hang out with you and Samamtha and both your dads if we’re post-A!
Yes, megan & erin, we’re set!! Everyone else on this site is welcome too of course
side note: it’s quite comforting to find out that everyone else’s fam is as crazy as mine…!
OMG Erin!!!! My mom did the same thing for Y2K. Except she went to a Mormon cannery and canned dozens, and I mean dozens, of big cans and huge pails of of wheat, instant taters, dehydrated soup mix and apples, beans, etc., etc., etc. She still has some of the wheat. See says wheat last forever (insert her quote about grain and the Egyptians). Oddly enough the mash was pretty good. It did not last long.
The whole thought of something like this happening does make me want to stock up on food, especially sweets.
Those MREs are sooooo not good anymore. A friend in the military gave me a box of them in 2002 and they are mega disgusting now.
lenore, MREs’re mega-disgusting when they’re fresh, i think.
i thought about Y2K a lot reading this. i had friends whose parents were stockpiling generators and water and everything else. my family, on the other hand, was very much, “eh, it’s just a big fuss over nothing.” just because we were right in 1999 doesn’t mean we’ll be right forever … we’re so screwed when the apocalypse does come. maybe my mormon cousins will take us in and share their stockpiled food.
OH MY GOD I am SO SORRY about the length of my post. I am just SOOOO EXCITED about being part of this book club!!!
Sammi coulda been born just plain white trash, but Fancy was her name!
1) i’d sit with sammi. she’s a lil slutty which means she’d always have fun stories to dish on what she did over the weekend.
2) for face punch-i’d have to give a two-way-tie to megan*/reverend marshall for the douchey “christian” comments. (i’m a christian n my hubby is a pastor so i’ve def met my share of stupid ppl who say crazy non-biblical and/or out-of-context
comments just like them.)
3) so far miranda’s mom is 70% cooler than miranda. hopefully she won’t die and can help miranda on that.
4) i’m really hoping that miranda doesn’t die and that her diary doesn’t become like a modern sequel/adapation of anne frank. i don’t think i can handle that.
*megan is so like mandy moore in saved. i’m just waiting for the megan version of the bible throwing scene.
allison, sammi would DEFINITELY have the best stories to share. she reminds me of elody from “before i fall,” our previous book club selection.
1) I’d totally sit with Miranda, Mrs. Nesbitt, and Hornton and probably Matt too.
2) Megan and Sammi def deserve a face punch for acting so dumb. Then again, desperate times make people do crazy things. But I still wanted to smack them and yell at them to make better decisions.
3) I really liked Miranda’s mom. Yes she has flaws but she really kept the family together with her strength and her quick thinking. Especially when you consider how other parents in the book handle the “event” (including Miranda’s father) I think Miranda’s mom is the best parent around.
4) I finished the book in one evening but… every chapter I kept thinking “the cat is going to die and I am going to cry” even though I am more of a dog person. I like that she included a pet, because that is often neglected in end of the world books. Like in zombie movies, suddenly all the animals are just gone, which is unrealistic.
I like that she included a pet, too, because disasters like Katrina show how pets need rescuing also! I’m really glad the mom told Jonny to get cat food and litter. Altho I DO NOT like how Jonny is the “special pet” of the mom. If Horton were Miranda’s cat, would she have thought of this? Okay, Mom-punching time in new comment! Otherwise, three cheers to Pfeffer for Horton!
I read this awhile ago so reading previous comments has helped remind me of the characters and storyline.
1. I would want to sit with Matt. Mom, and Mrs. N. They are the only ones showing potential for not being a flat, ridiculous, one dimensional character.
2. so many to choose from. Megan, her pastor, her mom, Sammi’s parents and the perv they sold her to. Actually I’d probably do more to him that would involve more torture. And I’d slapped Miranda around. She just whines too much. This “end of the world” shizz just seems to be too inconvenient for her. Gee Miranda, sorry this messed up your plans!
3. Miranda’s mom is much cooler. She goes into action and is SMART about it yet Miranda treats her like she’s stupid. Teenagers who treat their parents like they are dumb really irritate me.
4. Can’t comment on who dies since I read all 3 books, but I also read the story fearing for Horton’s life, especially since he is talked about so much. I hoped he was just a red herring but tried to prepare myself for the heartache. Won’t say which it was, you’ll find out if you are still reading.
There are THREE BOOKS? How can the end of the world drag on for that long? I clearly haven’t even finished reading the first half yet. I’m lazy. (But I’m SO getting there, I swear, and might comment later…)
The second book has totes different characters and is set in a big city. I read it. The third book revisits the characters from LIFE AS WE KNEW IT. I heard it sucks the big moon asteroid, tho, so I’m not sure if I’m going to read it.
The Mom needs a BISHSLAP to the FACE for making Miranda feel less important, less loved, and less likely to survive than Jonny. Sure, Miranda’s not grade-A post-A material. She whines, she doesn’t want to help, she hates her life, she’s a girl. But it’s like her mom’s got a death wish for Miranda. It’s bullshizz.
Which brings about the question: Pfeffer puts emphasis on the weakness of women and girls in a post-A world. Big strong man needs to hunt, grunt, & protect? Girls need to hand wash the Big Man’s boxers? Ugh. Post-A does might mean going back in time for survival skills, but let’s keep the feminist dream alive, mmm-kay?
I agree about the ” woman is weak” vibe of the book. The second book is even worse. The main character is male and pushes around every female he is around. I’m really not a fan of her writing and the “man does best” theme is reaaly sad.
i think, though, that by book #3, the “woman is weak” vibe begins to change.
as a sidenote, i really hope this book club reads book #2. book #3, whatever… but i feel like book #2 is a necessary after book #1.
jessica, we will definitely considering reading book #2, esp. if this book has any kind of cliffhanger ending. although nothing can beat a patrick ness ending. because HE HAS NO SOUL.
So THAT is why NESS can write cliffhangers! He is an evil SOBish that way. The no-soul thing is the best reason I’ve heard so far!
I cannot in good conscience recommend the reading of book 3 under any circumstances. It is UTTER FAIL. Just thinking about it makes me want to slit the throat of a cat.
Soooo with you. But I hated all the macho and religious overtones of Book 2 as well, honestly.
I skipped book 2. And I am soooo glad I did.
I read book 2 also and I hope this is not a spoiler, but I wondered if the macho stuff was cultural?
I’ve heard book 3 wasn’t as good, and now I hear it’s a fail–but ARGHGHGHGH! IT IS SO HARD NOT TO READ IT. I feel like I NEED to know what happens to these peeps! And Horton!!
agreed about book #3 EXCEPT:
-it resolves some things.
-i really want to know about certain things that are brought up in book #3, which makes me want to read a book #4…
-it is really hard to stop reading.
i have a lot to say about book #2 but i am biting my tongue really hard.
1. Peter would be my first pick for the lunch table. Yes, he’s a bit of a Debbi-Downer with all of his gloomy news and knowledge bringing. But at least he’ll tell you what’s going on and maybe even teach you to do something useful like split a broken arm or something. He also always brings food and tries to get along with your family. Second choice would be Miranda, because I remembering being that age and hating my hellspawn brothers and being made to do things that the boys didn’t have to do because they were boys and therefore above it. And she’s the kind of teenager I can stand for more than ten minutes.
2. Definitely Mr. Preacher Man and Sammi’s parents/Mr. Pervy Man. I don’t see it as Megan’s fault that she bought into Preacher’s rantings. He’s clearly taking advantage of distressed people in hard times. Same for Pervy, but Sammi’s parents should have picked their kid over a little bit of food.
3. Ummm….. I’m going to be the crazy person who says Miranda’s mom isn’t that much more awesome than Miranda. Yes she got her shizz together and got the canned food and all that, that was awesome. But I can see Miranda’s point of view, too. You hear how every disaster is the WORST EVER on the news, but if it doesn’t affect your city, your state…. Then it doesn’t seem so bad. And then the next year whatever the next disaster is the NEW WORST EVER. And when a disaster first starts/happens you’re like, It’s the worst ever! Certainly the government will have prepared for the Worst Ever and will fix it soon! They learned to be better prepared from the last Worst Ever, right? Also, Miranda’s a teenager with an immortality complex which I can forgive since most teenagers have it. I guess I see Miranda’s side better than her mom’s which is why I don’t think she’s more super awesome than Miranda. Miranda is expected to act like an adult without the privilege of being one in her mom’s eyes (and Matt’s, too.) And I fully agree with the Women Are Weak thing, but I feel like it’s more the males (and Miranda’s mom) in the books who perpetuate it. Pfeffer gives the female characters amazing moments of strength, some physical and some not. But the guys are like “You’re not doing what we’re doing so you aren’t as awesome” even if the girls are never given the chance to do those things ’cause the boys won’t let them. Vicious cycle and all that.
4. I thought that Miranda’s mom would be one of the first to die, honestly. I mean, other than Horton. In survival movies and zombie movies it always seems like the one who seems most likely to survive/the mentor of the survivors gets bumped off early and the hero of the story/movie ends up having to grow up and get their shizz together and become the hero cause that’s what the mentor would’ve wanted them to do. Like, if her mom died Miranda would have to be the one to rally the troops and get them through it and grow up and all that.
DUBS TRUE on #4, sadie. except i’m not sure if miranda can really rally the troops. it would be WAY more awesome if, like, mrs. nesbitt ended up being the fearless, super hardcore leader. i mean, the woman survived the great depression. she’s gotta be pretty fierce.
I love Mrs. Nesbitt. But I understand her vulnerability within this story. She’s old, she’s single, her true family is probs dead. What she knows from the depression–ration cards, standing in line, being out of work, etc.–are no match for the post-A. I want her fierce leader potential to kick in, too. And I wish she’d shed her pride and accept more HELP already! But, just as Miranda’s a teenager which =whiny, feeling immortal and not understanding the big picture, I feel like Mrs. Nesbitt’s being elderly keeps her from her true ninja potential. Pfeffer wrote stereotypical teens; she wrote about a stereotypical old lady, too (old=unable to be a kick-ass leader). Though for whatever reason, Pfeffer wrote Mrs. Nesbitt with more care than her other characters. Or it feels like it, to me.
also, you’re totally right about the normalcy of teenagers having an immortality complex. i tend to forget that, but it does make miranda’s refusal to acknowledge the apocalypse slightly more understandable (and a tad more likable).
ooh, good call on peter. he’s definitely one of the more interesting characters to make up a backstory for.
Peter is so cool. I have a crush on him. I wish he could step in and be the dad and help them out–but being a dedicated doc in the post-A must suck. And he has his pride, too. He doesn’t ask for any help. I’d have no prob asking a hot, super nice doc to move in with me after the big A! I’d even wear a face-mask during sex, if it made him feel better.
1) I’d want to sit with Mrs. Nesbitt in the caf. Mostly because I like listening to WWII stories.
2) Not a lot of these characters make me want to face punch them, and Miranda’s BFF’s seem too easy of a target. I do agree with Samantha – Sammi’s parents are ridiculous to let their kid up and leave with a 40 Y/O. (NAMED GEORGE)
3) Miranda’s ma is probly 100% cooler. She’s doing Motherly Things that any truly sacrificial/neurotic mom in any post-apocalyptic time would do, IMO. Vitamin D! Canned carrots! Way to think about their future! Except for the cleaning thing. And “Are you lovers?” question kinda came out of nowhere and made me cringe.
4) Megan
re: #3 LORD I KNOW. WHAT KIND OF PARENT SAYS THAT? it may be the apocalypse, but that doesn’t mean it’s not AWKWARD AND A HALF.
Writing about WTF/OMG moments: That was one of my biggest. Because the reality of the fact is, WTF would they do about a kid? The mom goes batshizz, it’s true, and it was so inappropriate of her to say all that. BUT. No matter how much I wanted Dan and Miranda to get it ON already, a baby would kill them faster. They just couldn’t manage. And so the mom made post-A sense. In her batshizz way.
I would want to sit with Matt. Kid’ got it together.
I want to face punch Megan.
Miranda’s mom is the bomb.
I’d want to sit with Matt so he’d have someone to talk to about how he has to be a grown-up and his dad left him to be the man. I’d play Mad-Libs with him or something, because that boy needs a LAUGH.
1. i’m going to have to agree with sadie on sitting with peter, and throw in mrs. nesbitt. i’m a sucker for a sassy old lady. matt’s ok, but too responsible-older-brother for my taste.
2. is it wrong that i actually want to face-punch pfeffer? for all the reasons above, including the anti-women and the flat characterization? also, i’m right there with her on the fox-news-hatin’ train, and voted as early as i could in 2008 (and in 2004 … and 2000), but i felt like the bush-bashing stuff was a little stale and out of place. and i love a good bush bashing.
3. they’re both uncool in different ways. yes, i’d want miranda’s mom in my vietnam platoon — she’d know how to set traps and skin and eat snakes, but she’s also likely to go batshit and start sacrificing her own children (um, i mean platoon) to save herself. i was a little grossed out by her refusal to send blankets to new jersey. miranda’s a major whiner, but she’s also a pretty accurate teenage girl, and her criticisms of her mother point to her growing up to be a cooler person (albeit with suckier survival skills) than her mom.
4. jonny, but maybe that’s because i don’t really like him. he’s a male version of miranda, with his whininess about food and his obsession with baseball. i know he’s just a kid, but still. i know way cooler 12-year-olds. oh, or sammi, since her parents packed her off with a TOTAL PEDO.