Tilt, Emma Pattee
Tilt, Emma Pattee
List: $19.99
On Sale: $9.99

Tilt

Author: Emma Pattee

Narrator: Ariel Blake

Unabridged: 6 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/25/2025


Synopsis

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
A USA TODAY Bestseller
A Best Book of 2025 for Vogue
Named by Time one of the “14 Best Books of 2025 So Far”
An NPR favorite fiction read of 2025

Set over the course of a single day, an electrifying debut novel from “a powerful new literary voice” (Vogue) following one woman’s journey across a transformed city, carrying the weight of her past and a fervent hope for the future.

“Utterly gripping.” —NPR, All Things Considered

Last night, you and I were safe. Last night, in another universe, your father and I stood fighting in the kitchen.

Annie is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib at IKEA when a massive earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. With no way to reach her husband, no phone or money, and a city left in chaos, there’s nothing to do but walk.

Making her way across the wreckage of Portland, Annie experiences human desperation and kindness: strangers offering help, a riot at a grocery store, and an unlikely friendship with a young mother. As she walks, Annie reflects on her struggling marriage, her disappointing career, and her anxiety about having a baby. If she can just make it home, she’s determined to change her life.

“Shocking and full of heart” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), Tilt is a “moving adrenaline rush” (The New York Times Book Review) and “epic odyssey” (NPR) about the disappointments and desires we all carry, and what each of us will do for the people we love.

About Emma Pattee

Emma Pattee is a climate journalist and fiction writer. Her work has been published in The AtlanticThe New York TimesThe Washington PostThe Guardian, and elsewhere. She lives in Oregon.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Brady on April 18, 2025

omg i loved this one so much! Annie is 37 weeks pregnant shopping at Ikea for a crib when “The Big One” hits (Cascadia earthquake- google it if you want) and then we follow her journey trying to make it home + find her husband. Annie’s witty commentary had me laughing out loud over and over again, w......more

Goodreads review by Emily May on January 31, 2025

This is a tough one to review because I liked parts of it, but felt it was missing something. Tilt is tagged as 'thriller' and 'suspense', but, while the story follows a woman in the aftermath of an earthquake, I do not think either is truly accurate. Pattee shares her concerns about the Pacific Nort......more

Goodreads review by Nilufer on April 24, 2025

Diving into this book, which takes place during a natural disaster, forced me to face my own fears! Living in a city still experiencing wildfires and high earthquake risk, reading fiction inspired by real-life events can be challenging - I often prefer fantasy. However, I must admit this book is wel......more

Goodreads review by Angela M on April 16, 2025

The earthquake depicted in this novel is pretty devastating with fallen buildings, damaged roads and bridges. People are injured, people are missing and there is utter chaos in the aftermath. Described in a way that seems so realistic. Maybe it was “the big” one . In real life when disaster happens,......more

Goodreads review by switterbug (Betsey) on August 19, 2024

TILT incorporates a familiar tope—natural (earthquake) or other disaster and then protagonist goes on an “odyssey” of finding loved one(s) while reflecting back on their life. If you are a Millennial or younger and have not read many similar plots/themes, you may be swept away. I enjoyed following A......more


Quotes

"An earthquake has hit Portland, Oregon, causing widespread chaos, and a woman is trying to find a way home. Ariel Blake narrates this story of nine-months-pregnant Annie, who must find a way to reach her husband and make her way home from crib-shopping through the widespread disorder that has resulted from the quake. Blake’s dramatic narration captures Annie’s fears and concerns as she talks to “Bean,” her unborn child, telling the baby about the earthquake, describing her life with her husband, and pondering her and her husband’s careers. Blake’s voice quavers as she presents a mother-to-be who is full of emotion and self-reflection. Blake conveys Annie’s worries, as well as the day-to-day details of her and her husband’s lives while confronting the natural disaster."