Review of Falling to Earth by Kate Southwood

*Falling to Earth* by Kate Southwood (2013). Published by Europa Editions.

Every day, I become even more amazed at the sheer number of books that exist in the world. As someone who runs this book, movie, travel, and theater blog for fun, I try whenever possible to go outside of my comfort zone. It is one of my many goals to read as much as I can before it’s too late, consume as many perspectives as possible.

Going to the library and picking up whatever interests me is certainly one way to continue through this, but heading to my local thrift stores when I want to add to my physical collection has been such a unique way to add on to the book collection. I’ve found out of print books, as well as titles I’ve never heard of before.

I was at my local Savers when I stumbled upon a copy of Falling to Earth for $3, and it looked to be brand new. I saw that it was from Europa, which is why I picked it up to read the back cover. I know Europa puts out such good books in the world, and I think that I love the work that they do.

Anyways, it was the synopsis that sold me on this book. I had not heard of the historical event it was based on, but I devoured this book in the weeks after I bought it.

Here’s my review!

One family grapples with devastation after a tornado destroys everything around them.

This novel is set in 1925, in Illinois. On March 18, a tornado ripped through the Tri-State region, leaving a wake of destruction in its path. Historically, this tornado has been one of the biggest killers, and left the livelihoods and homes of so many people in the area completely destroyed.

At first, in the town of Marah, everything seemed normal on that spring day. However, by noon, that’s when the tornado hits. Mae Graves is at home with her kids when the tornado hits, and they run to get into the cellar. It’s a miracle the kids even stayed home from school that day, and they are safe hiding in the cellar.

When they emerge, their home is still standing. It is one of the only homes left in the town. Her husband, Paul, is at work in the lumberyard when they realize what happened. In one scene, he runs home, afraid of what he is going to see.

He is relieved to realize his family and mother are still alive, and that they are one of the only homes left.

But before that, he went to the school. There, it is chaos. The students were in a building that was not prepared for the tornado, and there are bodies everywhere.

Many of the students did not make it, and if his kids hadn’t gone to school that day, they might have been one of the many corpses splayed out in the yard.

In the days that come after the tornado, it’s just a state of shock for many living in the town of Marah. Paul comes to realize how lucky his family is, and that they are going to be okay. But for so many, they are homeless, or lost their families in the twister.

The dead are laid out on the Greaves family’s porches, leaving a stark reminder of what just happened and they survived. But as the novel continues forward, there are consequences for being so lucky.

Members of the town aren’t so forgiving as nature was to them, especially when they begin to wonder why this one family has everything still and they don’t. As resentment begins to flourish, another form of hysteria begins to take fold, with differing forms of tragic consequences.

Overall Thoughts

This was such a gorgeous novel. The prose was stunning, and it was just the right length. If it were any longer, I’m not sure if it would manage to be as captivating as it was. Each of the characters has a journey to go through, and they just survived such a traumatic event.

I think there is such value in novels like these, especially when it comes to show the after effects of tragedy. We like to talk about communities coming together to rebuild, overcoming hardship, but we often don’t consider the darker sides of this.

Lots to think about after reading this novel for sure though. I’m so glad I stumbled across it at the thrift store and gave it a chance. I certainly have faith in Europa books!

Pick this one up if you have not already and want to read it. You might find yourself pleasantly surprised.

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