“I am back in the house, in my own room.” Ann has returned from the safety of the cave where she had been watching Loomis’s movements. Loomis had bathed in the contaminated stream and is in his tent ill. Ann has no idea how ill he is and is doing a lot of soul searching whether to go and help him. She finally puts all her fears to one side and goes to his aid. This showed a lot of compassion or maybe her thoughts of re-populating for the sake of survival were foremost in her mind but she showed great courage in taking those first steps of helping this man. She did not fear for her safety at this point her only concern was to get this man better. She exhausted herself fetching and carrying water and supplies to help him in his recovery. She never seemed to have time to complain. These were selfless acts she never stopped to think that if he got better, would it be bad for her? I found that she only wanted to please Loomis at any cost at this point.
The way this book was written in diary format made it more intense and interesting. Every time Ann was scared and how she explained what she was feeling, made me feel exactly as she did. “I started to hold my breath but that was foolish---he knew I was there” I was enthralled by the way she explained Loomis entering her room to attack her. I waited with baited breath wondering to what lengths Loomis would go “suddenly both his hands were over me, not roughly but in a dreadful, possessive way” I could feel every inch of terror as Ann explained her ordeal I was fighting with her to get away from this man hoping and praying that this was a battle she would win. I breathed a sigh of relief when she wrote “ and in a burst I was out of the door and running”. She was safe at least for the moment.
“If you are sick, and I am to take care of you, I can do it better in the house.” She had taken Loomis into her home and gave him the run of the house. I felt she was taking a risk on her chances of survival, as she did not yet know what this man was capable of. This showed an admirable quality in Anne as she only had concern for his welfare and as yet had not thought of the consequences for these actions. The longer he stayed in her home the more knowledge he had of Ann and was learning more about the valley, things he would never have known had Ann not taken him into her home. He was growing stronger by the day and found it very easy to take advantage of her. As time went on I had regret for Ann allowing this man into her home as she had a very optimistic view on life while he had a view of self preservation, which was to Ann’s cost. He increasingly made more demands as each day passed and still Ann, uncomplaining, did all that was asked of her. I found her to be a very patient person as she just carried on doing what she thought would keep Loomis happy. Had she not been as patient, she would have at least got angry with him but she always kept calm no matter how irrational he got.
I was impressed by the way the novel was written in diary form. There was not much direct speech but more of Ann’s thoughts and feelings which made it much more intense. I had a picture in my mind of Loomis, from beginning to end. From him being the vulnerable sick patient who relied on Ann, to the obsessive and paranoid person he turned out to be, who’s fight for survival was paramount. The writer’s use of similes added more insight to the novel. Ann had run off to look for a safe place to hide after Loomis had attacked her. She went back to the cave so she could watch his movements in relative safety. She could see Loomis hunting her down along with her dog “He looked like an Indian on horse back in an old western movie attacking a wagon train.” The writer painted a picture of a mad man who was going to find Ann at any cost. I thought of the old western movies I had seen, and remembered the Indians on horseback in battle. It gave me a vision of the stereotypical Red Indian with anger and rage showing in every vein in their face, hunting down their prey with no compassion or fear and reaching their objective at any cost. Loomis had gone too far her unwillingness to submit to his rule was seen as a threat to his survival. Ann still remained brave and courageous throughout the book and the writer gave me an impression that Ann was always in control. After Loomis had shot her she recovered and grew stronger she had made a decision to confront Loomis after stealing his safety suit. “My heart was pounding and I did not know what to do.” Ann was afraid but still was able to make demands through her fear “Drop your gun,” The way the writer has put Ann’s thoughts and feelings into this novel keeps you in suspense. At this point I was not sure if Loomis was going to kill Ann or let her go. All through the novel the writer had shown me that he was so unpredictable so anything could happen. It stimulated my imagination and made it very realistic.
“I saw birds….west of here….circling.” The writer leaves you with the feeling of hope for Ann’s future. Ann knows that if there are birds alive so must there be human beings somewhere maybe in another valley. After everything Ann had been through it made you feel that it was not all doom and gloom for Ann, maybe she could now get away from Loomis and survive somewhere else with people who would welcome her. Once she had made her decision to leave the valley and Loomis, the writer portrayed her as a much more assertive person. She was no longer afraid of Loomis she had made a conscious decision to leave the valley and she never stooped to Loomis’s level of selfishness. After all he had done she was still willing to share supplies and give him the knowledge of the valley he needed.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel it never ceased to hold my interest. The diary format that the novel was written in only added to the suspense. Ann’s every emotion was put down in her diary therefore you had all of her inner most thoughts which made you part of this novel as the story progressed. There was not much direct speech but this never took me from the path of the writer’s objective, which was to hold my interest long enough to get to the final conclusion of the novel and he did. It was a realistic insight to the possibilities of a nuclear war and their effects on the planet. Ann Burden was only a young naïve girl but stronger than most of her age. It made me think that if I had been in her situation, could I have been as strong and resilient as she had been? I hope I never find out. This novel gave you just enough scientific information to make it a very realistic portrayal of a nuclear holocaust.
By Leighona Mills
