The Flood

Finished June 18
The Flood by David Sachs

This disaster novel has a dystopian feel to it. As the book begins, there has been a massive (9.6 on the Richter scale) earthquake in Antarctica and a massive carving of the ice shelf. These events have caused tsunamis going up all oceans from there, and there are reports of massive loss of life from the Southern hemisphere.
In New York City, emergency measures have asked everyone to evacuate and Travis awoke to this news, made his way on foot to his ex-wife, Corrina, and son, Darren, and they along with Corrina's husband Gerry have made their way to the piers where all ships and boats available are taking on people for the evacuation. The four make it onto a cruise ship, and the ship heads out to sea, encountering the bump of the tsunami wave out there, where is it much less devastating. They believe all is well, but when they encounter another ship that has come under the control of people with violence in mind, things change completely.
They are left with a stranded ship, cut off from outside communications, and with most of the ship's officers dead. As the passengers and refugees come together to manage the aftermath, leadership clashes and resentment over the division of supplies, along with no signs of rescue, cause things to quickly slip into an untenable situation.
This book looks at human reaction to disaster, the urge by some to help others and the urge by others to help themselves. We see how some can stay calm and others quickly become panicked. Travis, as a paramedic, is more the calm, thoughtful type, used to dealing with rapidly changing situations. Others, caught up in their own image of importance breed resentment and create divisions unnecessarily. This book will make you think about how you react to situations, as well.
The writing is great, and the main characters have complexity that makes the plot even more interesting.