A review by ashleymartin
The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit

3.0

The book portrays an interesting perspective of the subject. We learn about what happened with the women (referred to collectively as "we") who lived in Los Alamos while the men in their lives were building the atomic bomb. But the reason for the families relocating to this new town was kept secret from the women for years, until the bomb was dropped on Japan. They lived in unknowing and isolation, not being allowed to leave Los Alamos and not knowing when they were going to be allowed. The book follows these women from the time they find out they're moving for a special secret project, to their feelings about the aftermath of the bomb and how they move on from their time in Los Alamos.

Most of the time I liked this book. Sometimes it felt surface level and that bored me. But that period of time in the women's lives may have felt muted/mundane to them so maybe the tone of the book matches in that regard. I never felt fully connected to the characters because of the use of first person plural.