Fairbanks

This book sounds absolutely exhausting in the best way possible. Genre This is a heavy, genre-bending mix of psychological drama, survival horror, and dystopian fiction. It starts with a family dynamic and spirals into a full societal collapse that feels incredibly tense. TWs End of the world, racism, ableism, and intense grief, mentions of substance use, xenophobia, classism, suicide, and emotional/child abuse. Plot The story follows a family trying to pick up the pieces after a devastating tragedy, but it is less about "action" and more about the internal unraveling of the characters. As they try to navigate their new reality, secrets from the past start to bleed into the present. The reader is left helplessly watching how their personal history clashed with the literal end of the world. Characters The focus is on four family members and most of them (except maybe Sophie) are pretty unlikeable in their own ways. But they all make sense. I loved how switching perspectives added more context every time. By the time the story loops back to the original point, your entire view of the situation has changed. It really drives home that there is no one objective "good" or "right" person in this mess. Pacing It is actually quite fast-paced and it just keeps ramping up as the story develops. It kept me sooooo tense the entire time. I honestly felt like I took a breath at the beginning and still haven't been able to breathe out even after finishing it. Ending I literally just stared at the wall when I finished. Was that it? How is there not more? WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL, DG? - but I think that was actually the point. You don't get all the answers and you're left sitting with that discomfort. Overall: 5/5 stars It gets all the stars I can possibly give it.

It’s a quick dystopian novella which raises lots of questions and provides very few answers. The mystery of the book is intriguing and asks the question… “Would we really know anything if something truly serious went wrong?” With everything currently going wrong, I suspect the answer is yes but you could imagine a world where internet and cell service are cut off and there really are no answers. What shines brightest in the novel are the interactions from the characters. The POV is split between them and the discord within the family is palpable while also allowing them each to rationalize their own behavior. Needless to say, the world ending is not the best time to be having marriage problems. I’m left craving more and feel there was further to go. Maybe we’ll get more in the future!

This book was a five star read from start to finish. Its short and engaging, and it had such an incredibly eerie atmosphere that just kept ramping up the further you got into the story. Clara and David are both relatively unlikeable characters, but the way their thoughts and feelings are captured was so realistic and raw that you can’t help but empathise with them. I kept wishing they would simply listen to Caleb the entire way through, and let him finish his sentences. Sophie’s chapter also broke my heart. Being shown these disastrous events from the points of view of a child, a teenager, and two opposing adults felt so enriching, because, in a way, the entire family got to tell their version of the story. All in all, this book shows the humanity, raw emotions, and decision making processes of people who have to try and survive when society, and the world as they know it, seems to collapse. Do you save yourself, or protect those you love? The brutal cliffhanger ending of this book has killed me off, but I understand why it ends the way it does. I feel as though ending makes the events of the story so much more powerful, as though the reader is living through it themselves.

4.8⭐ eerie, unsettling, and I hated how much it reminded me of lockdown. you keep hoping for things to get better but it just gets worse. by the time I got to the end, I just stared at the THE END page blankly. I FEEL defeated.

Fairbanks by D. G. Woods is a gripping and unsettling novella that proves you don’t need hundreds of pages to tell a powerful story. Set in Fairbanks, Alaska, the story follows a family of four as they struggle to survive after a mysterious event causes society to suddenly collapse. With communication systems failing and the outside world going silent, the tension grows as uncertainty and fear begin to shape every decision they make. What makes this book stand out is its strong focus on the psychological strain of survival. Rather than relying only on action, the story explores how isolation, paranoia, and dwindling resources slowly affect the characters and their relationships. The family dynamics feel real and often uncomfortable, which makes the situation even more intense. The writing is sharp, atmospheric, and easy to get pulled into. Despite being a shorter read, the author builds a heavy sense of dread and keeps the reader engaged from beginning to end. The pacing is tight, and the unsettling tone lingers throughout the story. Fairbanks is a haunting and thought provoking read that stays with you long after the final page. It’s a great choice for readers who enjoy dystopian and survival fiction with a strong psychological edge. Highly recommended.

📚✍️ Fairbanks by @pagesnshadows ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ No Spoilers Well, this was uncomfortable 😃 Society has collapsed, and it's every person for themselves. This was horrifying because it can happen any day at any time. If you want to feel complete and utter dread, this one is for you! Thanks for the ARC!!

4.8 ⭐️ I rarely read a book this quickly. It pulled me in from the very beginning. As they say, it was my cup of tea. It feels as though life itself is slowly dying, followed by the illusion of temporary safety and then an ending that offers no heroic rescue. The book tells a story of survival. Of endurance in a city called Fairbanks that suddenly turns into a ghost town and I mean that literally when everyone disappears without warning. No communication. No internet. Nothing. Even food begins to run out, little by little. Every place becomes barren of people except for David and Clara’s family of four, with their son & daughter, Caleb and Sophie, and a few others who were left behind.. or perhaps abandoned. Or more precisely if you are considered useless, you are simply left behind. The family tries desperately to reach the outside world, but to no avail. Even the airport is shut down. What is happening? Is it a coming war? A pandemic? Has the government abandoned them? And why was no one warned about this sudden evacuation? The complexity of the father’s character felt painfully authentic. “He’d never leave his family, no matter how much Clara and her mom got on his nerves, no matter how exhausting fatherhood had become.” To me, David, in this story symbolizes an illusion of safety. When the father is the engine of life and without him, everything goes dark. “The lights flickered again. The generator coughed a wet, hacking sound, like Sophie when she was sick, then died taking the light with it.” A dystopian novella that keeps you tense the entire time, waiting for relief and nothing more.

Just finished reading this. Second book I've read from the author. As good as her debut novel was, she has gotten even better this time around. Her ability to make you feel the emotions the characters are feeling in that moment is exquisite. You feel the anger, the stress, the fear. From the very beginning you start to feel the anxiety and it continues to build. It happens so naturally as you read that it doesn't really hit just how intense you're feeling their emotions until you look away from the page. The characters have so much depth that you don't always get to see until you read their point of view. You see how each character views themselves and others. The depth of the characters and the story as a whole is incredible in the short amount of time we get to spend in their universe. I was really not prepared for the ending. I sat for a full minute just staring at the last page with my mouth hanging open. I will absolutely be recommending this novella to absolutely every reader I know. It is a perfect story to read when you don't have a chance to work your way through a full novel but don't want to break away in the middle. I am looking forward to reading D.G. Woods next project. She is an author you will want to keep an eye on in the future. She has the talent to be one of the greats.

ARC review Wow, dystopian family drama indeed! This novella packs a lot into it. I read this in one sitting, it was hard to look away from what was unfolding in the family and the world around them. It was so atmospheric, I felt cold, anxious and frustrated throughout the book. Fairbanks Alaska was the perfect setting for basically the end of the world and it allowed a lot of issues in the family to be brought to light, especially for the teenage son Caleb. I enjoyed the read, which sounds odd to say, but it is so well written, and that last chapter, yeah, that got me. Amazing work again!

What happens when the apocalypse has begun, and you don't even know its arrival has come? An all too real feeling of mutual resentment towards family members, mortal fear of being unable to provide — acting too late and too brash. The embodiment of human imperfections, desperation for survival, and the monsters that lie beneath our skin. When I got to the end? I stared at the wall. I gazed unseeingly at the crackling embers of my wood stove, unable to move to replenish its hunger. I was numb for a few minutes. Processing what I read. Sitting with the vulnerability it left me with. What an honor to have received an advanced copy of this brilliant novella.