A South Carolina family endures one life-shattering day in 1961 in a town that lies in the shadow of a nuclear bomb plant.It’s November 1, 1961, in a small town in South Carolina, and nuclear war is coming. Ten-year-old Wilson Porter believes this with every fiber of his being. He prowls his neighborhood for Communists and studies fallout pamphlets and the habits of his father, a scientist at the nuclear plant in town.
Meanwhile, his mother Nellie covertly joins an anti-nuclear movement led by angry housewives—and his father, Dean, must decide what to do with the damning secrets he’s uncovered at the nuclear plant. When tragedy strikes, the Porter family must learn to confront their fears—of the world and of each other.
Genre: Historical
Meanwhile, his mother Nellie covertly joins an anti-nuclear movement led by angry housewives—and his father, Dean, must decide what to do with the damning secrets he’s uncovered at the nuclear plant. When tragedy strikes, the Porter family must learn to confront their fears—of the world and of each other.
Genre: Historical
Praise for this book
"Atomic Family is a wholly original, gripping, and stunningly crafted story of one family's attempt to cope with the fears and uncertainty of the nuclear age. Ciera Horton McElroy captures the fragility of a young boy and his parents as they struggle with their own personal demons in the face of potential catastrophe. Atomic Family is as lyrical and assured as it is devastating." - Diane Chamberlain
"The specter of nuclear disaster permeates every action of Ciera Horton McElroy's troubled and loving Porter family as they seek to make their own fates in a poisoned world. Rendering existential terror with empathy and wit, Atomic Family refracts an epoch of history through the lives of one family over one day. Heart-wrenching, engrossing, and brimming with humanity, McElroy's novel at once reveals an age gone by and resonates profoundly in our own era of dread and resistance." - Molly Dektar
"In Atomic Family, McElroy writes with authority and astonishing lyricism. Fearlessly delving into her characters' private pain and their deepest desires to be seen and understood, McElroy masterfully reminds that suffering paves the road to redemption. This is an astonishing achievement from an extremely gifted storyteller." - Gina Ochsner
"Ciera Horton McElroy is a magician of prose and psychology. Atomic Family is a Mrs. Dalloway updated for the nuclear age, an intense excavation of memory, trauma, and hope. Her characters, so deeply felt, will whisper to you at night long after you finish the book." - Brenda Peynado
"Atomic Family is a gorgeous, suspenseful story of the Cold War and of complicated characters living in the wake of the second Red Scare. Historically precise, but never a history lesson, the novel explores a series of moments as resonant and relevant to America today as they have ever been. A glorious debut announcing the arrival of an astonishing talent on the literary scene." - David James Poissant
"Full of beauty and pain, humor and horror, Atomic Family is the real deal: a historical page-turner that pulls readers through a gripping day in the life of a family, and a country, searching for light in the darkness. McElroy is a welcome new voice on the literary scene, and Atomic Family is a reminder that the best historical fiction matters today more than ever." - Jake Wolff
"The specter of nuclear disaster permeates every action of Ciera Horton McElroy's troubled and loving Porter family as they seek to make their own fates in a poisoned world. Rendering existential terror with empathy and wit, Atomic Family refracts an epoch of history through the lives of one family over one day. Heart-wrenching, engrossing, and brimming with humanity, McElroy's novel at once reveals an age gone by and resonates profoundly in our own era of dread and resistance." - Molly Dektar
"In Atomic Family, McElroy writes with authority and astonishing lyricism. Fearlessly delving into her characters' private pain and their deepest desires to be seen and understood, McElroy masterfully reminds that suffering paves the road to redemption. This is an astonishing achievement from an extremely gifted storyteller." - Gina Ochsner
"Ciera Horton McElroy is a magician of prose and psychology. Atomic Family is a Mrs. Dalloway updated for the nuclear age, an intense excavation of memory, trauma, and hope. Her characters, so deeply felt, will whisper to you at night long after you finish the book." - Brenda Peynado
"Atomic Family is a gorgeous, suspenseful story of the Cold War and of complicated characters living in the wake of the second Red Scare. Historically precise, but never a history lesson, the novel explores a series of moments as resonant and relevant to America today as they have ever been. A glorious debut announcing the arrival of an astonishing talent on the literary scene." - David James Poissant
"Full of beauty and pain, humor and horror, Atomic Family is the real deal: a historical page-turner that pulls readers through a gripping day in the life of a family, and a country, searching for light in the darkness. McElroy is a welcome new voice on the literary scene, and Atomic Family is a reminder that the best historical fiction matters today more than ever." - Jake Wolff
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