“McElroy writes with veracity about the effects of nuclear waste on the land and water, and brings to life the strange mix of terror and naivete of the era. The well-drawn backdrop makes this affecting family drama all the more acute.”
“Atomic Family is as lyrical and assured as it is devastating.”
—Molly Dektar, The Ash Family
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.
Ciera Horton McElroy (b. 1995) was raised in Orlando, Florida. She holds a BA from Wheaton College and an MFA from the University of Central Florida. Her work has appeared in AGNI, Bridge Eight, Iron Horse Literary Review, the Crab Orchard Review, and Saw Palm, among others. She currently lives in St. Louis with her husband and son.
“ATOMIC FAMILY is a sharp portrait of a family unraveling under the pressure of the paranoia of the Cold War arms race.”
“ATOMIC FAMILY delivers an expertly crafted, poignant family story as well as important reminders of the environmental damage caused by the making of nuclear weapons—even if they are never used.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
