“It’s funny the things that get stuck in your head.”

From Jeff Hirsch’s Black River Falls.

Eight months ago, a flu-like virus infected the small New York town of Black River and almost the entire population was placed under quarantine, because just several hours after being exposed to the virus, people lose all memory of their life including their name, family, and personality.  Trapped inside the fence is the un-infected teen, Cardinal Cassidy.  He managed to avoid catching the virus at the initial outbreak and has been living (with the help of a gas mask and heavy-duty gloves) with a group of abandoned, infected children in a campground just outside of the town.  Cardinal helps Greer (his bully-turned-best-friend) look in on the kids and as long as they don’t cause trouble, the National Guard lets them stay free at the camp.  As the rest of the residents of Black River struggle to move on with their memory-less lives, Cardinal settles into a sad, but survivable new normal.  Until, that is, when a newly-infected girl (Hannah) shows up in Cardinal’s life in desperate need of his help.  As he helps Hannah deal with her lost past and she begins to discover what possibilities life could hold, Cardinal finds himself falling for the girl who constantly pushes him for answers about his past.  For the past few months, Cardinal has been surviving, but now he must struggle with the possibility of living again.

Hirsch’s creation of both the virus-stricken world and the lone survivor narrator are captivating from the first page until the ending; the struggles are caused by a wide variety of factors which give the story a realistic feeling.  This book stands out from many other post-apocalyptic stories, since only a small town was impacted while the rest of the world carries on normally.  Black River Falls is a quick read that manages to pack itself full of action, heart, and twists.