BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
One ordinary morning, in an unexceptional town, every mobile phone lights up with the same emergency alert.
In this compelling, darkly funny and moving debut novel, each of Vincent Yu’s utterly relatable, flawed characters is given a choice: in the face of mutually assured destruction, do we reach for grace and mercy or do we hold on to hate and fear?
Seventeen minutes later the town learns via text that it was a false alarm and the question changes. Can we forgive each other for what’s been said and done when the world didn’t actually end?
PRAISE FOR SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER
'Propulsive and poetic... explodes with characters at once sad and lonely, fierce and funny, selfish and selfless, all mirroring missiles themselves as they hurtle toward the consequences of their choices in the wake of a false missile alarm... A masterful debut' Jenny Tinghui Zhang, author of Four Treasures of the Sky and Superfan
'A writer of incredible grace and insight... a profound work about connection and disconnection that left me reeling and wanting more. A daring, prodigious debut' Brian Castleberry, author of The Californians and Nine Shiny Objects
'Compelling and cinematic... Yu's vivid and beautiful descriptions of these "difficult to like but easy to empathise with" characters display the skilfulness of this storyteller in full force' Abraham Chang, author of 888 Love and The Divine Burden of Numbers
'Yu’s intriguing novel, exploring a wonderful array of responses to a terrifying moment, examines the many and varied ways we confront the possibilities of transformation within the confines of our familial bonds' Andrea Barrett, author of Ship Fever and Natural History
Genre: Literary Fiction
One ordinary morning, in an unexceptional town, every mobile phone lights up with the same emergency alert.
In this compelling, darkly funny and moving debut novel, each of Vincent Yu’s utterly relatable, flawed characters is given a choice: in the face of mutually assured destruction, do we reach for grace and mercy or do we hold on to hate and fear?
Seventeen minutes later the town learns via text that it was a false alarm and the question changes. Can we forgive each other for what’s been said and done when the world didn’t actually end?
PRAISE FOR SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER
'Propulsive and poetic... explodes with characters at once sad and lonely, fierce and funny, selfish and selfless, all mirroring missiles themselves as they hurtle toward the consequences of their choices in the wake of a false missile alarm... A masterful debut' Jenny Tinghui Zhang, author of Four Treasures of the Sky and Superfan
'A writer of incredible grace and insight... a profound work about connection and disconnection that left me reeling and wanting more. A daring, prodigious debut' Brian Castleberry, author of The Californians and Nine Shiny Objects
'Compelling and cinematic... Yu's vivid and beautiful descriptions of these "difficult to like but easy to empathise with" characters display the skilfulness of this storyteller in full force' Abraham Chang, author of 888 Love and The Divine Burden of Numbers
'Yu’s intriguing novel, exploring a wonderful array of responses to a terrifying moment, examines the many and varied ways we confront the possibilities of transformation within the confines of our familial bonds' Andrea Barrett, author of Ship Fever and Natural History
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"Can we ever really change our lives? Vincent Yu's intriguing novel, exploring a wonderful array of responses to a terrifying moment, examines the many and varied ways we confront the possibilities of transformation within the confines of our familial bonds." - Andrea Barrett
"Vincent Yu is a writer of incredible grace and insight who understands that the best fiction is about trusting characters to reveal themselves under the right pressure. In Seek Immediate Shelter, a single miscommunication shocks a community and shakes up the habitual lives of its myriad inhabitants, revealing both their individual stories and their shared humanity. It is a profound work about connection and disconnection that left me reeling and wanting more. A daring, prodigious debut." - Brian Castleberry
"Compelling and cinematic . . . In the face of mutually assured destruction, given the choice to reach for grace and mercy or to hold on to hate and fear, can we forgive each other for what's been said and done when the world doesn't end? Yu's vivid and beautiful descriptions of these 'difficult to like but easy to empathize with' characters display the skillfulness of this storyteller in full force." - Abraham Chang
"Propulsive and poetic, Vincent Yu's Seek Immediate Shelter explodes with characters at once sad and lonely, fierce and funny, selfish and selfless, all mirroring missiles themselves as they hurtle toward the consequences of their choices in the wake of a false missile alarm. This is a book that asks not so much what it means to be human, but to be a person-foibles, shame, desire, gluttony, and all. A masterful debut." - Jenny Tinghui Zhang
"Vincent Yu is a writer of incredible grace and insight who understands that the best fiction is about trusting characters to reveal themselves under the right pressure. In Seek Immediate Shelter, a single miscommunication shocks a community and shakes up the habitual lives of its myriad inhabitants, revealing both their individual stories and their shared humanity. It is a profound work about connection and disconnection that left me reeling and wanting more. A daring, prodigious debut." - Brian Castleberry
"Compelling and cinematic . . . In the face of mutually assured destruction, given the choice to reach for grace and mercy or to hold on to hate and fear, can we forgive each other for what's been said and done when the world doesn't end? Yu's vivid and beautiful descriptions of these 'difficult to like but easy to empathize with' characters display the skillfulness of this storyteller in full force." - Abraham Chang
"Propulsive and poetic, Vincent Yu's Seek Immediate Shelter explodes with characters at once sad and lonely, fierce and funny, selfish and selfless, all mirroring missiles themselves as they hurtle toward the consequences of their choices in the wake of a false missile alarm. This is a book that asks not so much what it means to be human, but to be a person-foibles, shame, desire, gluttony, and all. A masterful debut." - Jenny Tinghui Zhang
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