‘BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER’

A failed musician, a grieving mother, a squabbling couple, a wife with a destabilising secret, an insecure teenager, a grasping junkie, an abandoned son – when the emergency alert comes, every resident of Beckitt, Massachusetts is already looking for something: comfort or closure, forgiveness or salvation. But as each sees the dire message appear on their phones, those everyday fears and desires sharpen into a single acute point, their lives teetering on the edge of an unknowable abyss.

Then the second message comes in: ‘FALSE ALARM. PLEASE DISREGARD. ALL CLEAR.’

First comes relief; then comes the reckoning, as each person is forced to face the unforeseen aftermath of decisions they made when they thought they might never get the chance again…

A breathtaking exploration of relationships in all forms, Vincent Yu’s debut examines the delicate balance between love and loyalty, betrayal and forgiveness, and ultimately celebrates the courage to embrace a new beginning.