Author: Sigrid Nunez
Published: 2011 by Riverhead Books
Source: Crazy Book Tours
Written in Sigrid Nunez's deceptively simple style, Salvation City is a story of love, betrayal, and forgiveness, blending the deeply affecting story of a young boy's transformation with a profound meditation on belief, heroism, and the true meaning of salvation. In an American landscape devastated by a flu pandemic, orphaned thirteen-year-old Cole is rescued by an evangelical couple. Adjusting to a new life, he struggles with memories of the past. As other survivors become dedicated to their own vision of utopia, Cole imagines a wholly different future for himself.
The flu pandemic has swept away so many lives and has drastically hindered the lives of the ones still breathing. Thirteen year old Cole's parents pass away from the pandemic and he is left orphaned in a hell on Earth sort of shelter. Cole is then adopted by a pastor and his wife, who live in Salvation City, Kentucky. Well there's one thing the book already has going for it.. I live in Kentucky. Then we watch how Cole struggles within himself whether or not the world is black or white, good or evil. Or I guess I should say whether Salvation City is is good for him and the outside world is the bad.
I had a few problems with Salvation City, all of which revolve around how the Christians are portrayed. I am not in anyway debating Christianity or Theology or any beliefs. I just want to voice how some of the Christians that Nunez describes in this book are startling. A pastor whose life is dedicated to God, but who is also an alcoholic? I understand being a Christian does not mean you are holier than thou and perfect, but that specific part of the book bothered me. It just didn't make sense.
Overall, Salvation City has beautifully written prose emphasizing the emotions, thoughts and lastly decisions that a thirteen year old boy has made in a world full of turmoil. I expected this book to be more focused on the dystopian aspect rather than the character connection, but alas, I enjoyed it.
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