My take On The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event—an asteroid hitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex's parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle.
With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful new novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.

The Dead and the Gone was another slow starter, just like Life as We Knew It, but it was a much more thrilling book overall.
As the story progressed, the tension, and consequently my inability to put the book down, increased. Pfeffer poured more and more dangers and difficulties on Alex, a devout Puerto Rican-American with high hopes. Seeing him struggle to survive the seemingly insurmountable tribulations was like watching him get painted into an ever shrinking corner; you just couldn’t see a way out!
While all the hazards in The Dead and the Gone were the same as its companion (Moon struck by asteroid and knocked out of orbit resulting in riots, tidal waves, famine, plagues, and climate change.), this book was worlds apart from Life as We Knew It. The urban environment of NYC really ramped up the excitement. Alex had to deal with food shortages, missing family members, angry mobs, an atmosphere of death, and the degeneration of his beloved city while trying to keep both his sisters and his faith alive.
I give The Dead and the Gone…

…Three and a half zombies.

This series really puts you into the story. While the dialogue didn’t always ring true, I was still pulled into Alex’s struggle. It made me realize how fragile life is; not just life, but the way we live. It also showed me that if this sort of thing happened I’d be totally screwed.

Happy reading!