Fallout

Written by Todd Strasser in 2013, Fallout is an alternative history novel that reimagines the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis by describing the impact of a nuclear strike on suburban Americans in the 1960s and outlining the practical aspects of life in a fallout shelter. The novel employs a dual-narrative approach, with chapters alternating between the time before the attack and the time directly afterward in order to explore themes such as the loss of innocence and the long-term effects of stress amid members of a ravaged society. To date, Strasser has penned over 140 young-adult and middle-grade novels and frequently addresses serious topics such as Nazism, bullying, and nuclear war.

This guide refers to the Kindle edition of the novel.

Content Warning: Both the source text and this guide contain descriptions of war, war-related trauma, racism, ableism, and sexual harassment.

Plot Summary

Set before, during, and after the events of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, Fallout explores an alternative history in which the Cuban Missile Crisis escalates into nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. The story alternates between two timelines: the events leading up to a nuclear attack and the survivors’ experience of the aftermath in a fallout shelter.

The protagonist, Scott, is an 11-year-old boy living in a New York City suburb with his parents and his younger brother, Sparky. For the previous few months, Scott’s father has been constructing a fallout shelter beneath their home’s playroom, causing tension with his wife, who believes that this measure is unnecessary. In the pre-attack timeline, Scott and his friends, Ronnie and Freak O’Nature, discuss the possibility of nuclear war as they engage in typical pre-teen activities, such as stealing a cheesecake from a neighbor’s freezer.

At school, their teacher, Mr. Kasman, introduces them to concepts that Scott has never considered, delivering a neutral exploration of communism and discussing topics such as civil rights and the problems with stereotyping. Mr. Kasman also teaches the class about James Meredith, the first Black student at the University of Mississippi, and he encourages students to question their attitudes about segregation. Scott completes a homework assignment in which he states his opposition to segregation and uses the golden rule as justification.

At home, Scott’s family dynamics become strained as his father’s preparations for the impending attack cause anxiety for Scott’s mother. She becomes increasingly distant while his father builds the shelter. Scott’s anxiety also increases. As tensions escalate, Scott’s father obtains gas masks for the family, and the children participate in nuclear attack drills at school, in which they are coached to face away from the direction of the blast.

As the day of the nuclear attack draws closer, the novel describes the family’s interactions with Janet, their Black maid. One day, when the family drives Janet home, Scott realizes that Janet has children. He is also confused as to why people were staring at them during the drive, and his mother explains that a Black woman in a car with white people is an unusual sight.

President Kennedy delivers a televised address about Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba. The next day at school, Mr. Kasman leads a discussion about the speech, explaining that U.S. weapons in Turkey are almost the same distance to Moscow as Cuba is to Washington D.C. This demonstrates to the students that both Russia and the U.S. are contributing to the increase in political tension.

As the months pass, Scott’s friendship with Ronnie becomes strained. They fight over Ronnie’s inappropriate behavior toward girls, as Ronnie has recently spied on their neighbor, Paula, and his own mother. One day, the boys’ disagreement escalates into a physical altercation. Scott’s father breaks up the fight and sends Ronnie home. Scott admits to his father that he and Ronnie were fighting because of the war and the bomb shelter, and Scott’s father compares this issue to the similar arguments that he and Scott’s mother have been experiencing.

After the nuclear attack, Scott’s family and several neighbors are trapped in the fallout shelter. The group includes Scott’s parents, his brother Sparky, Janet, and the Shaw family (including Ronnie), as well as Mr. McGovern and his daughter, Paula. During the initial rush into the shelter, Scott’s mother hits her head and is severely injured.

As the days pass, life in the shelter becomes very challenging. The group faces issues with limited food and water, a lack of privacy, and rising tensions, especially between Mr. McGovern and Scott’s father. Scott’s mother remains unresponsive due to her head injury, and Janet helps care for her despite some neighbors’ racism. For a bathroom, the neighbors use a bucket with a toilet seat. They initially use a curtain for privacy but eventually abandon this practice.

Faced with the bleakness of their prospects, Mr. McGovern becomes increasingly hostile and suggests that they stop feeding Scott’s mother and Janet in order to conserve the remaining resources. He attempts to force a vote and insists on expelling both women from the shelter, but he is outvoted. The shelter’s inhabitants struggle with boredom, hunger, and despair, and they eventually resort to tearing up their nightclothes to use as rags and toilet paper. Personal hygiene becomes difficult, and everyone is forced to bathe publicly due to lack of space.

Scott’s father tries repeatedly to contact the outside world via radio but receives no response. This leads to speculation about the extent of the destruction, and the group wonders whether anyone else has survived. As their situation worsens, Mr. Shaw panics and attempts to leave the shelter but is physically restrained by the others. Later, when Mr. McGovern demands to be let out, they discover that the hatch is blocked by something heavy, leaving them trapped in the shelter.

The situation in the shelter becomes desperate enough to compel the inhabitants to venture outside despite the risk of radiation sickness. Scott’s father and Mr. Shaw dismantle one of the bunk beds to create a structure tall enough to reach the hatch. Their initial attempt fails when the wood begins to break under their weight, but Scott’s father reinforces the structure. In a final push, Scott and Ronnie add their efforts and help Scott’s father create a small opening in the hatch, allowing fresh air and light to enter. A foul odor also seeps in, hinting at the devastation outside.

The adults finally succeed in opening the hatch fully. Scott’s father emerges first and is visibly shaken. The children are kept in the shelter while the adults clear away debris—and presumably bodies—from the entrance. Scott’s father drops a package of Oreo cookies and Ritz crackers down to the children; it is the first food they have had in days.

When the neighbors finally exit the shelter, they find their town in ruins. Trees are broken and bare, homes are destroyed, and debris is scattered throughout the streets. However, in the distance, a plume of smoke indicates that other people have survived the nuclear attack. Feeling contrite, the adults apologize to Scott’s father for their behavior in the shelter. Scott’s father expresses pride in his son’s maturity during their ordeal. The novel ends with Sparky playing in the grass despite the devastation.