When the English Fall

When the English Fall
By David Williams
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2017. 242 pgs. Fiction

Jacob lives a simple life with his wife Hannah and their children Sadie and Jacob. They are an Amish family living in Pennsylvania where they interact mostly with their Amish community as well as occasionally with their English (non-Amish) neighbors. Sadie, who has recently begun having seizures often says some strange things in the midst of her shaking.

One day she begins talking about angels and later that night there are strange lights in the sky. Sadie believes they are angels, Jacob thinks it may be the Northern Lights, and the English call it a solar storm. No matter what the event was, the reality is that now planes are falling from the sky, everyone is without electricity, and cars are no longer running.

After the world as the English know it comes to a stand still, they begin looking to their Amish neighbors for food. At first the Amish aren't as affected by the new state of the world. They are used to living without electricity and have plenty of food stored in their larders. However, as the days and weeks go on without power, everyone begins to feel more and more anxious. Looting and violence begin sweeping the country and there isn't a lot of peace to be found.

This book reminded me a lot of Life as We Knew It because it was written in diary format and both books made me realize that I need to build up my food storage. I also felt like the writing in this book was similar to Station Eleven, another post-apocalypse story. This was a fast read with a lot to think about.

AMM