Ways the World Could End

Hooper (All the Acorns on the Forest Floor) offers an insightful and finely crafted look at how a family copes with grief. There’s Dave Garrison, a doomsday-obsessed and neurodivergent widower, and his 15-year-old daughter, Cleo. Each tries in their own ways to deal with the loss of Dave’s wife and Cleo’s mom, Jana, in what the reader eventually learns was a violent incident. Their story unfolds in alternating narration from their home in the isolated San Juan Capistrano hills of Orange County, Calif. Dave’s chapters open with various doomsday scenarios (a volcano, an earthquake, bio-warfare) that fuel his preoccupation with building a bunker to keep his family safe. A few years into their marriage, Dave and Jana see a therapist and he gets what he calls “The Label,” his diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. This brings relief to Jana, and helps her understand his trouble with emotions. As the truth slowly emerges about Jana’s death, the author wrenchingly portrays its devastating circumstances and outcome. Hooper also realistically conveys how Dave navigates life with ASD and effectively captures Cleo’s teen angst as she becomes enamored of the new girl in her class. This memorable and stirring story of survival brings the goods. (May)