A review by alienclans
The Longest Night by Andria Williams

4.0

Nat and Paul married young, as many did in the late 50's/early 60's and now they have two daughters. Paul is a military man so he has to take his family out to Idaho Falls to work in a nuclear plant. This book is about the nuclear reactor accident that occurred on January 3, 1961 in the same way that The Road is about the apocalypse or The Great Gatsby is about dying in a pool. I mean, yeah the accident happens in the novel but it's just part of the bigger story. My point is that this book isn't a history lesson but rather an exploration of a marriage and the strain that work and neighbors and new friends put on it.

I was excited for this and I'm so glad it didn't let me down. In fact, I don't really have any complaints about this book which surprises me because I can always find something to complain about. It was somewhat slow but the pace felt necessary to build tension. I thought the characters were compelling so the fact that it alternated perspectives between Paul, Nat, and Jeannie didn't bother me.

Overall, it was a great book and I will be on the lookout for more by Andria Williams.