Tilt

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
A USA TODAY Bestseller
A Best Book of 2025 for Vogue
Named by Time one of the ‘14 Best Books of 2025 So Far’
An NPR favorite fiction read of 2025

Set over the course of a single day, an electrifying debut novel from ‘a powerful new literary voice’ (Vogue) following one woman’s journey across a transformed city, carrying the weight of her past and a fervent hope for the future.

‘Utterly gripping.’ —NPR, All Things Considered

Last night, you and I were safe. Last night, in another universe, your father and I stood fighting in the kitchen.

Annie is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib at IKEA when a massive earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. With no way to reach her husband, no phone or money, and a city left in chaos, there’s nothing to do but walk.

Making her way across the wreckage of Portland, Annie experiences human desperation and kindness: strangers offering help, a riot at a grocery store, and an unlikely friendship with a young mother. As she walks, Annie reflects on her struggling marriage, her disappointing career, and her anxiety about having a baby. If she can just make it home, she’s determined to change her life.

‘Shocking and full of heart’ (Publishers Weekly, starred review), Tilt is a ‘moving adrenaline rush’ (The New York Times Book Review) and ‘epic odyssey’ (NPR) about the disappointments and desires we all carry, and what each of us will do for the people we love.


Genre: Science Fiction

"Tilt is a swift, exhilarating punch to the gut, the most embodied twenty-four hours of narrative I can remember reading. Through the eyes of the prickly, funny, and very pregnant narrator, we viscerally experience the surreal, unbearable, comic, and beautiful ways that humans behave in a crisis. The Road meets Nightbitch meets What to Expect When You're Expecting. I loved this novel." - Lydia Kiesling

"Tilt is a remarkable debut - a gorgeous, haunting blend of a suspenseful survival thriller and a fierce portrait of maternal love. I was so mesmerized that I blew off all my responsibilities, threw all other reading aside, and blistered through the whole thing in one sitting, loving every moment." - Angie Kim

"Every gorgeous page pulses with humor, heartbreak, and the horror of human behavior when the unthinkable happens. Emma Pattee has written a smashing debut that had me turning the pages well into the night" - Jessica Knoll

"An epic natural disaster adventure story starring a pregnant woman on a mission. A nuanced, stark, tender portrait of a marriage. A tale of destruction and loss punctuated by surprising moments of empathy. Emma Pattee's debut novel Tilt manages to be all of the above, and more. Equal parts heart-wrenching and life-affirming, this riveting book made me laugh, cry, and think. I couldn't put it down." - Helen Phillips