Tilt
A Novel
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Excellence in Fiction
A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
A USA TODAY Bestseller
A Best Book of 2025 for Vogue
Named one of Time’s 100 Must-Read Books of 2025
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Pattee's nail-biting debut, a pregnant woman navigates the aftermath of a major earthquake in Portland, Ore. The story opens with Annie, 35, shopping for a crib at IKEA on her first day of maternity leave. She grows angry with salesperson Taylor for overlooking her, until a massive tremor rattles the building and she's trapped by shifting boxes and cabinets. After Taylor helps her escape, Annie flees without her wallet or keys, joining a crowd walking to the heart of the city. She needs to find her husband, Dom, a jovial, struggling actor who works at a café four miles away. Despite her pregnancy, few are willing to give her a ride on the city's cracked streets, and she is wary of those who do stop. Still, Annie is tenacious and leans into her dark sense of humor, mentally drafting an Instagram post ("Well, didn't think my morning would go like this") and wondering if all the damaged housing might mean that she and Dom will be able to afford their own place. Pattee's depiction of a post-earthquake Portland feels bracingly realistic, and her depictions of marriage and impending motherhood are achingly raw. Shocking and full of heart, this leaves a mark.
