Creemore author Simon Heath is officially launching the second and third books in the When Everything Falls Apart trilogy as part of a local arts weekend on Oct. 2 and 3.
At the start of the pandemic last year, Heath decided to release Book Two: The Middle in a digital format, because the subject matter was so relevant to what was happening in the world, and now he is releasing both it and Book Three: The Beginning in paperback.
When Everything Falls Apart is not about a pandemic but some parallels can be drawn to the story about a solar flare that wipes out the world’s power supply. That’s where the story picks up in Book One: The End, released in 2019.
Like the pandemic, it is a story that feels like science fiction but is all based in fact. Heath said everything in the highly researched story, from the cause to survival techniques are all within the realm of possible.
The books are set just south of this area, where the protagonists escape to their off-the-grid home in Mono and a large part of Book Two is set in Dufferin.
In the second book they harness the power of community and work together with others to survive their new reality.
Heath said he didn’t want to write a typical apocalyptic saga with a violent lone survivalist theme.
“I think of this as being the more Canadian version,” said Heath, adding it’s about how a community can band together. “Essentially it’s a story about a family trying to find each other and come back together for the course of the trilogy.”
He said he first embarked on a story about how to survive without power but realized that the real story was about a family and how they reconnect when all of the societal constructs that were causing so much tension in their marriage are removed. The relationship is reduced to the essentials, said Heath.
In the third book the family returns to the city to see how they can help contribute to the reconstruction.
Heath said he sees a lot of overlap with the pandemic in that some people found their lives reduced to the essentials and made them question what was really important in life.
Heath will be set up at The Creemore Echo from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2 and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 3, when he will be signing books, available for $20-$35. He will also be selling his pottery.
Visit wheneverythingfallsapart.ca for a deep dive into the world of the protagonists as they navigate, and adapt to their new reality. The books will also be available at The Echo’s Newsstand, Curiosity House Books and Booklore in Orangeville.