The Switch

October 10, 2022
When the power abruptly goes out globally due to a mysterious electromagnetic pulse known as “the switch,” 13-year-old Henry Carter’s maternal relatives, the self-sufficient, technology-averse Ludds, are uniquely situated to cope with the emergency. Their well-supplied 40-acre Oregon farm is set up with multiple households, a wind turbine that provides limited electricity, and even a disaster-analysis professional. The compound soon becomes a small pocket of order amid the outside world’s chaos, but Henry struggles to cope: he’s navigating the loss of his zookeeper father, not seen since the event, and begins communicating with the ghost of a neighbor who died in a switch-related plane crash that hit Ludd property. Complicating matters, the 13-year-old is stranded when his uncle’s truck is hijacked during a mission outside the farm. To survive, Henry allies himself with family friend Derek, a former Army Ranger, and self-assured water vendor Rebecca, tracking the missing truck and family members amid increasingly threatening stakes. Skirting specifics around the catalyzing event, Smith (Descent) focuses instead on society’s fragility post-apocalypse, paying particular attention to the Ludds’ efforts to survive and adapt, and employing a tense third-person narrative that drives this suspenseful, crisis-oriented read. Characters default to white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Barbara Kouts, Barbara Kouts Agency.