Seek Immediate Shelter - by Vincent Yu (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A breathtaking debut novel about survival, hope, and second chances in an Asian American community in Massachusetts, when a false missile throws the residents' lives into chaos.

On an otherwise unremarkable morning, the residents of a small town in Massachusetts all receive the same alert: BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

Confronted with the options of fight or flight, planning or panicking, the people of Beckitt are stripped to their basest instincts and revealed as their truest selves. Russ squeezes his family into the bathtub, leaving his own survival in question; Nina sends an unforgivable text to her daughter; Milly confesses her unrequited love; and David hits the gas, speeding away from his wife and child.

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 thought might be their last.

Vincent Yu's searing debut follows this eclectic cast of characters over a period of many years, suggesting that the conflicts the missile exacerbated were simmering under the surface long before, and proving the ripple effects of the false alarm will be felt for years to come.

An urgent, fiercely heartfelt exploration of relationships in all forms, Seek Immediate Shelter explores the balance between love and loyalty, betrayal and forgiveness. What choices would you make if you thought your life were on the line? And if you survive, can you ever redeem yourself?

Review Quotes

"Propulsive and poetic, Vincent Yu's Seek Immediate Shelter explodes with characters at once sad and lonely, fierce and funny, selfish and selfless, all mirroring missiles themselves as they hurtle toward the consequences of their choices in the wake of a false missile alarm. This is a book that asks not so much what it means to be human, but to be a person--foibles, shame, desire, gluttony, and all. A masterful debut."
--Jenny Tinghui Zhang, author of Four Treasures of the Sky and Superfan

"Vincent Yu is a writer of incredible grace and insight who understands that the best fiction is about trusting characters to reveal themselves under the right pressure. In Seek Immediate Shelter, a single miscommunication shocks a community and shakes up the habitual lives of its myriad inhabitants, revealing both their individual stories and their shared humanity. It is a profound work about connection and disconnection that left me reeling and wanting more. A daring, prodigious debut."
--Brian Castleberry, author of The Californians and Nine Shiny Objects

"Compelling and cinematic . . . In the face of mutually assured destruction, given the choice to reach for grace and mercy or to hold on to hate and fear, can we forgive each other for what's been said and done when the world doesn't end? Yu's vivid and beautiful descriptions of these 'difficult to like but easy to empathize with' characters display the skillfulness of this storyteller in full force."
--Abraham Chang, author of 888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers

"Can we ever really change our lives? Vincent Yu's intriguing novel, exploring a wonderful array of responses to a terrifying moment, examines the many and varied ways we confront the possibilities of transformation within the confines of our familial bonds."
--Andrea Barrett, author of Ship Fever and Natural History

About the Author