An Atomic Romance: A Novel (2005) - Plot & Excerpts
Atomic Romance is a good novel. A really good novel, in many ways. Engaging and beautifully written and observed. But it's also missing something important.This is the story of Reed Futrell, a guy in his forties, divorced, with two grown children. He's got a mother who made a lifetime out of independent quirkiness; he's got an on-again-off-again girlfriend with whom he shares a consuming interest in quantum mechanics and the Hubble telescope; he has worked for twenty years as an engineer making repairs at a uranium enrichment plant.As is always the case, this story moves along on the power of conflict. Big conflicts, both present and past, small and large. Reed's mother is sick and approaching the end of her life; he's in love with Julia but they are always at odds about his job; and there's the nuclear power plant that killed his father in a chemical accident, and is now constantly in the news because old sins are rising to the surface. Beyond the expected contaminated soil and slag heaps, it seems as though the company Reed chose to trust may not have deserved his loyalty. Through the papers the workers learn about beryllium and plutonium exposure. In a small Kentucky town dependent on the plant at the center of its economy, this news is more than unsettling.Here's the thing. Reed is a very engaging character. He's likeable and interesting. As the novel opens, he's lethargic. Alternately fascinated by science, and unwilling to really think about what's wrong at the plant, and what repercussions he might personally be facing. Julia is outraged and worried, and he skates along trying to pretend everything is all right.Mason obviously knows a huge amount about these power plants and how they work. I like novels that look closely at the relationship between a mind and the tasks it takes on, and this novel does that in a very closely observed way:"Powerful electric motors sent the gas spinning and shooting through hundreds of axial-flow compressors and into converters, where barriers with tiny holes filtered out the heavier isotopes. . . . This was the system, his friend and his enemy."The problem is that in spite of the richness of characterization and the conflicts which are set up so carefully, the novel meanders. A lot of it simply takes place in Reed's head, and key scenes between characters are summarized or left out. I like Reed and his thoughts, but I needed more movement. Even when the parallel crises come to a head (what's going on at the plant, and his relationship with Julia) there's little energy here. There's so little energy that the resolution sputters unconvincingly, and in fact it felt as if Mason were looking for a neat way to tie up loose ends. Which is unusual for her, and a disappointment as far as this novel is concerned.
To start: a wonderful choice of setting, situation, and subject matter. The industrial plants and associated towns of the Tennessee Valley that, around mid-century, went from being mining-centered to nuclear. How some people (and families) get in front of the situation when something new moves in--and they succeed some but they are also taken advantage of by those who are at the top of the company ladder and don't have their hearts into keeping the community healthy and prosperous.The leads are very well drawn and their situations sufficiently distinct to keep me involved. But then the denouement came along and I was thoroughly disappointed. It almost seemed as if the author chose the tone she wanted to have at the end and picked the best place to jump to it and that was that: a wrap for the book. Mason's work is not to be taken lightly, but I found this to be a novel where the promise was compromised.
What do You think about An Atomic Romance: A Novel (2005)?
This is written by a Kentucky author and a story based on the atomic energy plant in Paducah Kentucky where my dad worked for most of the first 30 years of its existence. The plot and people are presented in a remarkably realistic way,and I enjoyed reading it. The romance is not the youthful first romance but the middle age been there before kind. A different kind of read, but with some of the joy of romance and lots of thoughtful issues about work, relationships and people as well as the "radioactive" problem.
—Donna
This sucked. It was repetitive and boring. Let me sum up the whole book for you:Reed: I don't give a shit if I die of radiation poisoning. I just look at the stars and everything is fine. By the way, I'm desperately in love with you, Julia, but I keep fucking everything up.Julia: I love you, but I can't handle the fact that you glow green and won't quit your dumbass job.Reed: My job is fine. No one in the government would lie and let workers die slowly and painfully. Julia: Well, I was stupid enough to get pregnant, so I guess I'm stuck with your pathetic ass. Reed: I hope the baby doesn't end up deformed from all of the radiation I've been exposed to.
—Sarah
I had a difficult time trying to write a review for "An Atomic Romance"; I really, really wanted to like this book, because Mason is a wonderful writer, but I just didn't have any emotional investment in the book after finishing it.Mason tried to be provocative and provide a romantic, science-laden, passing on the generational torch morality lesson, but all I came away with was "The book's about a horny middle-aged guy who doesn't want to die, tries to be like Marlon Brando, and really needs to admit that he's more like Nathan Lane."
—Anna
