69 pages • 2 hours read
The Age Of Miracles
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Published in 2012, Karen Thompson Walker’s The Age of Miracles is a bildungsroman science fiction novel. Set in modern-day California, “the slowing” is the term used to describe the mysterious phenomenon of Earth’s rotation gradually decelerating. Humanity must face drastic environmental issues, such as increased days of sunlight, and this serves as the dystopian backdrop to the coming-of-age story of 11-year-old protagonist, Julia.
The Age of Miracles opens just as “the slowing” begins and is told from the perspective of sixth-grader Julia. She is the only child of Joel, an obstetrician, and Helen, a former actress. They live in a quiet suburb of Southern California alongside an eclectic mix of neighbors: Sylvia, the New Age piano teacher; the Kaplans, a conservative Jewish family; Tom and Carlotta, the aging hippie couple; and Hanna, Julia’s best friend, who is part of a large Mormon family. The book is written in the past tense, and Julia retrospectively describes the period when “the slowing” first begins.“We didn’t notice right away. We couldn’t feel it” (3), Julia remarks of the strange phenomenon that has begun to overtake her world.
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