This Fragile Earth by Susannah Wise

Not long from now, in a recognizable yet changed London, Signy and Matthew lead a dull, difficult life. They’ve only really stayed together for the sake of their six year old son, Jed. But they’re surviving, just about. Until the day the technology that runs their world stops working. Unable to use their phones, pay for anything, even open the smart door to their flat, Matthew assumes that this is just a momentary glitch in the computers that now run the world.

But then the electricity and gas are cut off. Even the water stops running. And the pollination drones – vital to the world, ever since the bees all died – are behaving oddly. People are going missing. Soldiers are on the streets. London is no longer safe.

A shocking incident sends Signy and Jed on the run, desperate to flee London and escape to the small village where Signy grew up. Determined to protect her son, Signy will do almost anything to survive as the world falls apart around them. But she has no idea what is waiting for them outside the city…

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I read a book last year that was about a blackout, shown from right down on the level of a few ordinary people on holiday (apart from the random information they couldn't have known.) It covered a few days of increasingly unnerving things happening...and then it stopped. Dead. With no resolution or explanation.

This Fragile Earth felt a bit like that.

For one thing, it's set some little way in the future, and there are technologies and advances that are simply there and not explained. (My major gripe; what on earth is Bovine Staph? Something bad, but we're never given any detail, or I missed it maybe.)

The writing itself is good, almost feverish at times, always compelling. I didn't really understand everything the child was talking about, because Signy didn't, but that wasn't really the point.

The blurb says that Matthew and Signy were on the outs, staying together just for Jed. I didn't pick that up at all from the story, they seemed to be getting along fine. Maybe, like the Staph, I missed something.  

I also found Jed's age odd; sometimes he seemed far too young, sometimes far too old. I realise the author needed someone to explain things so that we could follow along, but it didn't work very well for me.   

It was very realistic how quickly things fell apart, though. That part made perfect sense to me, sadly.

I enjoyed the writing in this, but the story itself didn't make much sense to me. I'd love to know whether Imissed something or whether other's feel the same, but either way I think this will go well. It is an interesting read.   

This Fragile Earth publishes on the 24th of June, 2021. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.