When the English Fall by David Williams

When a major event effectively puts an end to electricity in the world, society begins to collapse. Another apocalyptic novel, you ask? Yes, but this one has a twist.

Written as the journal of Jacob, an Amish man, it is the record of a man whose life does not change so much at first. He has an idea of what is happening outside of his Order, of the devastation that has befallen the “English.” He expresses compassion and concern for them: “They are God’s children. They are my brothers and sisters.” But he continues to work and grow and harvest, and his family’s life is mostly business as usual.

Eventually, however, the world begins to intrude. Desperation drives people from the cities, looking for food. The time comes when he must weigh protecting his family against staying true to what he believes.

Meditative and deeply spiritual, this compelling novel is part commentary on our rushed and thoughtless modern lifestyles and part rumination on the ways that we are all connected as children of God, even when we think we’ve insulated ourselves from the outside world. (Algonquin)