Review: You're doing it wrong
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 10, 2011
Dare I give a book 5 stars? Not sure I have ever done that before...Though it is not perfect and I do have some minor objections with the story, it is but a matter of a difference of opinion between the author and I. This rich and thoughtful PA story is a step away from the norm, and is very well done.As we know from the summary, the protagonist has spent 14 months alone underground, participating in an isolation experiment. When he emerges, society has...ended, completely unbeknownst to him.There are not many survivors, and a number of those who are left are cuckoo's nest nuts. That leaves even fewer survivors to sustain themselves, find each other, and move forward.Though this gets minorly "lets all hug the trees and love the animals and sing kumbayah together" at times, the author is not wrong in his assessment that humankind would be a lot better off being loving, respectful, kind and peaceful, non-violent vegetarians. Or meat eaters, as long as you only kill what you need and respect the animal at the same time, which hunters and carnivores should do anyway, even now.It's a PA story, but it's much more. It's a renewal story, a love story, a rebuilding story, and a masterful fictional essay on what we as humans are doing all wrong. Mostly everything, actually.There are bad guys, sure, and some of them are a little bit formulaic, but that's OK. The other characters are mostly well drawn, rich and likeable, and you want to root for their success as they attempt to redraw the lines between old society, what constitutes a family, and what we could be doing in a better way.Won't spoil the plot, I'll just say that this is one you shouldn't pass on...