To the North by Bruce W. Perry

The literary fascination with apocalyptic novels shows no sign of slowing, and Bruce W. Perry offers another darkly rich angle with To the North, a heart-wrenching story of loss and hopelessness following a devastating super volcano eruption.

Brad Garner is the unfortunate focal point of this tale, a man who finds his path leading across a barren, broken American West in search of family, refuge, and something resembling a future. While this novel initially seems like a solitary, existential journey, reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy at his best, Perry incorporates touching and sensitive scenes of social interaction, offering his own two cents on the empathic foundation of human nature.

The settings vary wildly, but Perry’s visceral language paints bleak and beautiful scenes for these characters to occupy. The scope of the post-apocalyptic plot could have been much more narrow and remained a powerful narrative, but Perry boldly pushes into other genres – mystery, action and even philosophical diatribes – to achieve this masterful piece of writing.

The intensity of this read derives from its close ties to reality – as our planet continues to boil over and crack at the seams, the dark obsession with disaster is growing, and Perry provides a well-penned outlet for reflection, entertainment, and catharsis in the evocative To the North.

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