Book Review: 59 Minutes
59 Minutes by Holly Seddon is a riveting thriller that is fast-paced and full of heart. The premise is: what would you do when faced with a nuclear attack, taking place 59 minutes from this moment?
Each character is faced with the decision about whether to protect their personal safety or try to reunite with a loved one. The love and desperation felt deeply by each character will resonate with readers and humanizes the high-concept, terrifying situation of a potential nuclear attack.
At first, I was nervous to read this book, because the news is already scary enough! However, the writing is so beautiful and the characters so relatable that I was drawn into the text instantly. The novel begins with lovely setting descriptions of a walk through London on a Friday night. The writing was downright poetic with evocative setting descriptions.
Carrie is the first character we are introduced to, and she can’t wait to get home and spend a cozy weekend with her toddler Clementine and partner Emma. Carrie must navigate the crowds of inner-city London and the underground to make it home to her family, along with Grace, her teen sidekick adopted along the way.
Mrs. Dabb’s 13-year-old daughter Bunny left school early after forging a note—today of all days. In search of her daughter, she might have to face her family’s dangerous, secret past. In the same small town, Frankie is on holiday in Dartmoor with her boyfriend Otis and announces she is pregnant. The blissful moment doesn’t last long, once they receive the nuclear alert. As they go into town in search of food, they get caught in a surprising situation. The tension in Frankie’s storyline ratcheted up quickly and I had the sense that her plot line would intertwine with another character’s.
My Thoughts
Overall, I felt like the descriptions of the nuclear threat were done well, detailed and informative without being too graphic (although still realistic). The behavior of people, the crowds, the fear, and the looting served as a realistic backdrop and obstacles for the three lovable main characters to navigate in meaningful ways. I read this book in about 4 hours over 2 days because it was addictive!
Thank you to Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books for an ARC in exhange for an honest review.
My Recommendations
I have read a few other books by Holly Seddon. The top two I recommend are The Woman on the Bridge and her debut novel, Try Not to Breathe, both psychological thrillers. I also love the podcast The Honest Authors co-hosted with Gillian McAllister.
