California

by Edan Lepucki
California cover
Good Books rating 3.0
Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic
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Paperback • £20.00
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  • ID: 1167
  • Added: 2025-09-27
  • Updated: 2026-03-10
  • ISBN: 9781405525824
  • Publisher: Hachette UK
  • Published: 2014-07-01
  • Formats: 15
  • Reviews: 4

California is a gripping and provocative debut novel that imagines a frighteningly realistic near future. The sunshine state lies in darkness, with Los Angeles in ruins and the world as Cal and Frida once knew it gone. They live in isolation, working side-by-side to make their days tolerable, but their tentative existence is thrown into doubt when Frida discovers she's pregnant. Terrified of the unknown, they set out for the nearest settlement, a guarded and paranoid community with dark secrets. This novel explores the clashes between mankind's dark nature and irrepressible resilience, forcing readers to question how far they would go to protect the ones they love./n/nThe couple must quickly decide whom to trust in this unfamiliar world, where everything and everyone can be perceived as a threat. The novel is highly acclaimed and has been praised for giving expression to a generational anxiety about the near future, rooted in the threat of environmental crisis. It brings validation to anyone who sits upright in the middle of the night struck with the instability of the human project on this planet: others are awake, too.

Reviews
Civilian Reader · 2015-04-22
nerve-racking 3.75

This dystopian novel offers a unique perspective on life at the end of the world. It's a swiftly paced, nerve-racking read that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

The Civilian Reader finds this book to be an interesting and different take on the dystopian genre. They highlight its relevance, especially in 2023, and appreciate its ability to keep readers engaged with its fast pace and tension. The reviewer notes that it's a nerve-racking novel that produces a mix of desires to keep reading and dread of what might happen next.

Quick quotes

    This is a volume about what life would be like at the end of the world, California is perhaps more relevant in 2023 than when it was first released.

    It's a swiftly paced, nerve-racking novel, one of those books that produces simultaneous desires: You want to keep plowing through it but dread what surprises ...

    An interesting, different dystopian novel. The sunshine state lies in darkness. Los Angeles is in ruins, left to the angels now.

The Guardian · Amity Gaige · 2014-09-04
provocative 3.75

The novel thrusts an ordinary American couple into a frightening future with shades of 1984 and The Road. It's a gripping and provocative debut that imagines a near future with realistic and chilling possibilities.

Amity Gaige from The Guardian praises California as a gripping and provocative debut novel that thrusts an ordinary American couple into a frightening future. She notes that the novel draws shades of 1984 and The Road, creating a realistic and chilling portrayal of a near future. Gaige highlights the author's ability to build tension and explore the complexities of human relationships in a dystopian setting. While the novel may not reach the literary heights of Melville, it successfully captures the essence of environmental breakdown and its impact on society. The reviewer appreciates the novel's fast-paced narrative and the atmospheric tension that keeps readers engaged throughout.

Quick quotes

    This bestselling debut, with shades of 1984 and The Road, thrusts an ordinary American couple into a frightening future.

    Lepucki's novel is a gripping and provocative debut that imagines a near future with realistic and chilling possibilities.

    The novel successfully captures the essence of environmental breakdown and its impact on society.

Electric Literature · 2014-08-25
entertaining 3.00

The novel is a fast-paced, fun read that feels like a summer blockbuster. However, it lacks depth and may feel a bit thin in its execution.

The reviewer from Electric Literature describes California as the literary equivalent of a summer blockbuster—fun, fast-paced, and engaging. The novel's quick pace and entertaining narrative make it an enjoyable read. However, the reviewer notes that the novel may lack depth and feel a bit thin in its execution. Despite this, the reviewer appreciates the novel's ability to keep readers engaged and entertained throughout. The atmospheric tension and the exploration of human relationships in a dystopian setting are highlighted as strengths, but the reviewer feels that the novel could have benefited from a more substantial plot and deeper character development.

Quick quotes

    Edan Lepucki's post-apocalyptic thriller California is the literary equivalent of a summer blockbuster — fun, fast paced, but perhaps a little thin.

    The novel's quick pace and entertaining narrative make it an enjoyable read.

    The atmospheric tension and the exploration of human relationships in a dystopian setting are highlighted as strengths.

Reddit - r/literature · 2014-01-01
critical 1.50

The novel is criticized for being muddled and nearly plotless, with vague worldbuilding and weak science-fictional elements.

A Reddit user from the r/literature community offers a rare negative review of California, criticizing the novel for being muddled and nearly plotless. The reviewer finds the worldbuilding vague and the science-fictional elements weak, which detracts from the overall reading experience. Despite the novel's ambitious theme of environmental breakdown, the reviewer feels that it falls short of delivering a compelling narrative. The lack of clear plot development and character depth is noted as a significant drawback. However, the reviewer acknowledges the novel's attempt to explore important themes and its potential to spark discussion among readers.

Quick quotes

    Muddled, nearly plotless, bad at both the science-fictional/worldbuilding (nothing but vague handwaving about the apocalyptic setting and social structures).

    The novel falls short of delivering a compelling narrative despite its ambitious theme.

    The lack of clear plot development and character depth is noted as a significant drawback.

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