In the Unlikely Event

Judy Blume, the #1 New York Times best-selling author of Summer Sisters and young adult classics like Are You There God?, has written a much awaited new book. In It's Me, Margaret, three generations of families, friends, and strangers have their lives drastically altered by unforeseen circumstances. The narrative is poignant and beautifully nuanced.

Miri Ammerman goes back to Elizabeth, New Jersey, her birthplace, in 1987 to attend a celebration honouring the year that changed everything in her life.

Three and a half decades before, when Miri was fifteen and falling in love for the first time, many aeroplanes crashed out of the sky, rocking the town to its core. In the early 1950s, when air travel was still relatively new and exciting and everyone aspired to travel, Judy Blume experienced real-life events that served as the backdrop for her haunting tale. The disasters profoundly alter the lives of three generations of friends, family, and strangers. Her depiction of a specific period and location includes Nat King Cole's rendition of "Unforgettable," Elizabeth Taylor's hairstyles, youthful and mature romantic relationships, ferocious friendships, A-bomb panic, and suspicions of a Communist danger. And a budding journalist who establishes himself by covering tragedies. One generation passes on the knowledge that life carries on despite everything.

A compelling book, In the Unlikely Event has all the characteristics of Judy Blume's legendary storytelling.