Our Endless Numbered Days

At the opening of this standout debut, eight-year-old narrator Peggy Hillcoat is content with her unconventional life in London. Her mother, Ute, is a concert pianist, while her father, James, a North London Retreater, prepares for the end of the world. Ute refuses to join his scheme, and Peggy prefers Sugar Puffs with milk to squirrel cooked on a stick over a campfire. After a violent argument with another Retreater, James grabs Peggy and their supplies and hikes to a hidden wilderness cabin. Die Hutte, as it's called, is dilapidated and reeks of animal smells. Peggy bursts into tears and hides behind the stove, where she spots the name Reuben carved on the wall. Even though her father tells Peggy the universe has vanished, she privately looks for Reuben while living in relative comfort for eight years until James's fits of rage and weeping turn her against him. Finally, she learns what drove James into the wilderness, even as she harbors one last secret of her own.