ALL STORIES ARE LOVE STORIE - Softcover

Percer, Elizabeth

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062275984 ISBN 13: 9780062275981

Publisher: Perennial, 2017

Synopsis

In this thoughtful, mesmerizing tale with echoes of Station Eleven, the author of An Uncommon Education follows a group of survivors thrown together in the aftermath of two major earthquakes that strike San Francisco within an hour of each other—an achingly beautiful and lyrical novel about the power of nature, the resilience of the human spirit, and the enduring strength of love.

On Valentine’s Day, two major earthquakes strike San Francisco within the same hour, devastating the city and its primary entry points, sparking fires throughout, and leaving its residents without power, gas, or water.

Among the disparate survivors whose fates will become intertwined are Max, a man who began the day with birthday celebrations tinged with regret; Vashti, a young woman who has already buried three of the people she loved most . . . but cannot forgot Max, the one man who got away; and Gene, a Stanford geologist who knows far too much about the terrifying earthquakes that have damaged this beautiful city and irrevocably changed the course of their lives.

As day turns to night and fires burn across the city, Max and Vashti—trapped beneath the rubble of the collapsed Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium—must confront each other and face the truth about their past, while Gene embarks on a frantic search through the realization of his worst nightmares to find his way back to his ailing lover and their home.

About this title

Review:

An Amazon Best Book of March 2016: Beautiful in its language and soul-touching in its characters, All Stories Are Love Stories opens with a statement to the reader that very-near-future San Francisco will be hit by a catastrophic earthquake in less than eight hours, and a firestorm will sweep the city shortly afterward. This ticking clock--and the fore-shocks that rattle the main characters every few chapters--keep nerves taut even as Elizabeth Percer gently unearths the backgrounds of baker Vashti, her long-ago boyfriend and only love Max, and geology expert Gene (who, quite unfortunately, just torpedoed a coworker’s desire for a public announcement predicting an earthquake because Gene didn’t find the data credible enough). Each is a transplant to San Francisco, and each has baggage that Elizabeth Percer opens up and carefully explores. When the quake hits mid-book, the crisis gives Max and Vashiti another chance to rebuild their broken love, and offers Gene a shot at redemption as he staggers through the burning city to save his MS-afflicted husband. While the love stories of the three characters form the heart and lungs of the book, the characters’ conflicted passion for fragile and vibrant San Francisco is the pulse, always beating in the background even as buildings crumble. Complex yet simple, just like real love, this novel will open up your heart...and make you long for a trip to San Francisco. —Adrian Liang

From the Back Cover:

An achingly beautiful novel about the power of nature, the resilience of the human spirit, and the enduring strength of love

On Valentine’s Day, two major earthquakes strike San Francisco within the same hour, devastating the city and its primary entry points, sparking fires throughout, and leaving its residents without power, gas, or water.

Among the disparate survivors whose fates will become intertwined are Max, a man who began the day with birthday celebrations tinged with regret; Vashti, a young woman who has already buried three of the people she loved most . . . but cannot forget Max, the one who got away; and Gene, a Stanford geologist who knows far too much about the terrifying earthquakes that have damaged this beautiful city and irrevocably changed the course of their lives.

As day turns to night and fires burn across the city, Max and Vashti—trapped beneath the rubble of the collapsed Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium—must confront each other and face the truth about their past, while Gene embarks on a frantic search through the realization of his worst nightmares to find his way back home to his ailing lover. And by morning, nothing will be the same.

Advance Praise For All Stories Are Love Stories

“In All Stories Are Love Stories, the fault lines run deep: secrets are laid bare and regrets threaten to swallow a handful of characters caught in a devastating earthquake. You’ll hope for their survival, but you’ll pray that they’ll forgive each other­—and themselves—before their crumbling city swallows them whole.” —Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, New York Times bestselling author of Bittersweet

“Elizabeth Percer uses the small space of the hours surrounding a catastrophic Valentine’s Day earthquake to explore big themes of love, longing, loss, and, of course, survival. All Stories Are Love Stories is a moving reminder of the way stories connect and the way we connect through stories, as well as a gorgeous contemplation of the stabilizing force of love.”—Meg Waite Clayton, New York Times

bestselling author of The Race for Paris

“All Stories Are Love Stories is a gripping novel, full of love for a group of wonderful characters and a shattered San Francisco. Elizabeth Percer’s beautiful writing and her overwhelming compassion enable us to take this harrowing journey through a very possible near-future world.”—Ellen Sussman, New York Times bestselling author of A Wedding in Provence and French Lessons

“All Stories Are Love Stories is not only a vivid and frightening tale about a devastating earthquake, it’s also a love letter to San Francisco and a compassionate and thoughtful look into its characters’ lives and secret hearts. There is sweetness and hope among the ruins, and that makes Percer’s novel all the more compelling.”—Edan Lepucki, New York Times bestselling author of California

About this edition

• Publisher: Perennial
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0062275984
• ISBN 13: 9780062275981
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384