Toils and Snares
Robert L. Slater

Convincing and real family portrait

In one sentence, this book is about: a family running off to a cabin in the woods as a plague kills most of the population.

This book is pretty clean – no sexual situations and just a bit of swearing.

It is not a YA novel like All Is Silence. The main characters are adults.

I don’t want to write a spoiler, but I think people should know that not every character gets an HEA. You don’t want to read this while depressed. It does have a solid ending, no cliffhanger.

I really liked this. The characters and situations felt very real. The people have strengths and flaws. I saw family dynamics that matched some of my own experience. It’s convincing and real. This isn’t about greater issues of society but rather the microcosm of a single extended family. We don’t get to choose family! Families are messy, but they still care about and are there for each other.

If you like apocalyptic / post-apocalyptic stories, I highly recommend it.