As Robins' novel begins, a near-future New York is essentially under armed guard. Citizens are subject to ID checks as they traverse from neighborhood to neighborhood. Gangs roam the night freely and without consequence; law enforcement is minimal and ineffective. Central Park is no man's land. The homeless population has exploded -- although Robins never gives an explanation, she leaves the impression that middle-class families have been priced completely out of adequate housing. Those with sufficient means often barricade themselves into fortresses they call apartment buildings in certain "safe" sections of the city.
John Tietjen, a divorced father of two, has an uneasy relationship with his ex-wife and children, but a passionate relationship with New York. He frequently roams the streets at night without care, trusting that "his city" will not let anything happen to him.
He reluctantly accepts a construction contract out of the city, and while he is gone, devastation strikes. In desperation, Tietjen rushes back to New York, only to find it in ruins and virtually depopulated. After a number of strange encounters, he rescues a woman, Barbara McGrath, from a madman and together they begin establishing a safehouse for other survivors.
But there are many oddities, most of them dangerous, in this new New York. As Tietjen's and McGrath's sanctuary becomes more populated, it becomes a target for other survivors, malevolent and strangely changed.
Robins writes of New York with a gift for description. The city comes alive, and dies, and comes alive again under her pen. Her characters, particularly Tietjen, are well-drawn with satisfying inner lives.
Although I enjoyed the novel overall, I have a couple of quibbles. I wanted to know how New York became an armed camp nearly overrun with the homeless and the lawless -- even a hint or a throwaway reference would have sufficed. And I was dissatisfied with the final revelation of how the city was destroyed. Perhaps I missed the foreshadowing that would have made the denouemént more sensible. The chief quibble, however, isn't the author's fault. A post-9/11 world robs this story of some of its power, particularly when Robins discusses buildings that no longer exist. It's a jarring note, and a sad one.
John Tietjen, a divorced father of two, has an uneasy relationship with his ex-wife and children, but a passionate relationship with New York. He frequently roams the streets at night without care, trusting that "his city" will not let anything happen to him.
He reluctantly accepts a construction contract out of the city, and while he is gone, devastation strikes. In desperation, Tietjen rushes back to New York, only to find it in ruins and virtually depopulated. After a number of strange encounters, he rescues a woman, Barbara McGrath, from a madman and together they begin establishing a safehouse for other survivors.
But there are many oddities, most of them dangerous, in this new New York. As Tietjen's and McGrath's sanctuary becomes more populated, it becomes a target for other survivors, malevolent and strangely changed.
Robins writes of New York with a gift for description. The city comes alive, and dies, and comes alive again under her pen. Her characters, particularly Tietjen, are well-drawn with satisfying inner lives.
Although I enjoyed the novel overall, I have a couple of quibbles. I wanted to know how New York became an armed camp nearly overrun with the homeless and the lawless -- even a hint or a throwaway reference would have sufficed. And I was dissatisfied with the final revelation of how the city was destroyed. Perhaps I missed the foreshadowing that would have made the denouemént more sensible. The chief quibble, however, isn't the author's fault. A post-9/11 world robs this story of some of its power, particularly when Robins discusses buildings that no longer exist. It's a jarring note, and a sad one.