Emma Pattee's 'Tilt' imagines the aftermath of a life-changing earthquake
Emma Pattee's 'Tilt' imagines the aftermath of a life-changing earthquake  
Podcast: NPR's Book of the Day
Published On: Wed Apr 09 2025
Description: Annie is 37 weeks pregnant. She's shopping at IKEA in Portland, Oregon, when everything around her begins to shake. It's an earthquake – the big one. Unable to get in touch with her husband or anyone else, she starts to walk. This is the setup for Emma Pattee's new novel Tilt, which the author says was inspired by the major earthquake predicted to hit the Pacific Northwest in the next 50 years. In today's episode, Pattee talks with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly about millennial disappointment, striving for scientific accuracy in the writing process, and what it means to prepare for disaster.To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy