Emma Pattee, Tilt (2025)
Content warning:
Death of a child, natural disaster
Synopsis
Tilt follows the story of Annie, a woman who is 37 weeks pregnant and caught in a natural disaster while shopping for a crib at IKEA in Portland, Oregon. Written in the first person, the novel follows Annie as she addresses her unborn child journeying through the ruins of the city in search of her husband, encountering both horrors and unexpected friendships. As she struggles to survive in a world literally tilting beneath her, Annie reflects on motherhood, gentrification, climate change, purpose, and what it means to survive a catastrophe.
Essay
Many residents of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest are likely familiar with the Cascadia Subduction Zone and worry when the "Big One" could happen. For those who are unfamiliar, the Cascadia Subduction Zone is a 700-mile fault line that stretches from Northern California to Canada. Many fear the rupture of this fault as it would cause a devastating earthquake in the region. Tilt highlights the possibility of this disastrous earthquake and centers the experience of one pregnant woman to explore anxieties surrounding not only motherhood, but also the effects of climate change.
From shopping for a crib at IKEA to walking miles through the ruins of Portland, Annie brings this natural disaster into vivid clarity in a way that feels all too real. Throughout her journey, she speaks to her unborn baby, whom she calls Bean, recounting the events leading up to her pregnancy and the worries that accompany it. Annie's interior monologue throughout her trek across Portland is what makes this novel nearly impossible to put down once it is picked up. Annie is pessimistic, humorous, short-sighted, and, most of all, hyper-aware of herself in a refreshing and authentic way. This novel leaves readers rooting for Annie and her child, feeling stressed when she makes mistakes, and marveling at the ruins Portland has become. One may wonder what they would do if disaster struck and they were left unprepared. I feel Tilt does an incredible job of showcasing what that experience would be like. Annie must deal with no phone reception, limited water and food, fatally injured individuals, and buildings collapsed into rubble.
Tilt is not an overtly hopeful or promising tale, but it is one that reflects the uncertainty and nuanced emotions that come with life. Annie is real and honest in her reflections on her marriage and impending motherhood. Neither she nor her husband achieved their Broadway dreams. Though they married out of necessity for health insurance and face financial struggles, they truly do love one another. In this way, her relationship mirrors many of the real-life struggles couples face. In the wake of this earthquake, she is able to reflect on these moments and how she came to build a life in Portland, Oregon. Though she is not necessarily thrilled to become a mother, Annie comes to realize the role she is about to take on, and in the wake of the earthquake, does everything in her power to ensure the baby's safety. Along the way, we see her develop a friendship with the IKEA worker who saved her and witness the bond that forms between mothers willing to do anything to save their children. In Annie, we see a thoughtful woman who works to understand her place as someone navigating marital difficulties, grief over the loss of her mother and a devastating natural disaster that puts both her and her unborn child at risk. This novel does an incredible job painting a realistic picture of what life could look like if the real megathrust fault ruptures. It brings to light the possible risk while examining themes of anxiety that come from this new reality in the Pacific Northwest.
Author Bio
Emma Pattee is a climate journalist and fiction writer based in Portland, Oregon. Pattee got her start writing journalistic pieces on climate and motherhood for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and many other publications, as well as fiction pieces for several literary reviews, before publishing her debut novel, Tilt. The novel received widespread critical acclaim upon its publication.
Further Reading
"'We Can't Let The Kids Go Outdoors': Our New Reality On The West Coast," Emma Pattee (2022)
- Notes the changing climate in the PNW while highlighting childhood in Oregon
Elizabeth Rusch, The Big One: The Cascadia Earthquakes and the Science of Saving Lives (2020)
