In a Perfect World by Laura Kasischke

I rarely read books that haven’t been personally recommended by a friend. If I’m in the 3rd floor Fiction section of the library with no list in my hand I’m completely lost. A Jodi Picoult read used to be a pretty good go-to in a pinch but I’ve picked through her books and found them unsatisfying. So when I spotted ‘In a Perfect World’ on the new fiction table I’m not sure what prompted me to pick it up, maybe it was the length. After last week’s massive read I could tell that this 300 pager would be a quick one. I’m happy to report that my random choice turned out to be a good one. This is the story of Jiselle, a flight attendant in her early 30s who has been the single bridesmaid in more than her fair share of weddings. So when handsome pilot Mark Dorn takes an interest and eventually asks her to marry him, life is very good. The fact that he is a widower with 3 children (including 2 hostile teenage girls) seems like an issue she will be able to easily overcome with her spunk and easy manner. And that Mark, as a pilot, travels 5 days a week doesn’t concern her much at first. Time now to mention the underlying theme of the book: The world is coming to an end. Not in a Will Smith “Independence Day” apocalyptic kind of way, no, in Kasischke’s telling, it’s much slower and more painful than that. The Phoenix Flu is beginning to spread throughout the country. It starts in a nursing home where all of the employees suddenly fall ill and die. Then it happens in pockets across the country, seemingly spreading overnight. Even Britney Spears is not immune to this deadly flu (or Martha Stewart or Donald Trump’s son). Animals begin acting strangely; rats appear unafraid in the middle of the day, birds circle in the thousands overhead. Seemingly strange species of creatures cross their paths. Americans are banned from traveling out of the country. The story moves us slowly into life with quarantines, then without hospitals, schools or law enforcement.

Left alone with her 3 stepchildren, Jiselle finds her resilient side, learning to deal with love, loss and sacrifice. It’s not a stretch to say that with the recent swine flu hysteria this becomes a fascinating read. What would you do if you were left with the responsibility of keeping your family alive? What lengths would you go to?

Kasischke is a poet and does a wonderful job of finding beauty in the demise of Jiselle’s crumbling world. Questions are left unanswered about her fate but she makes peace with her life. Wherever it takes her.