The Crossing

The Disease started by taking the elderly, who drifted off to sleep and never awoke. Panic set in as the age of victims decreased. Ten years later there is still no cure. The world is embroiled in an endless war, expending the lives of those who are young and Disease-free. Amid this chaos, 17-year-old twins Virginia and Tommy search for hope and try to avoid the draft. They journey to Florida to witness the Europa launch to Jupiter's moon. Searching for the runaways is their foster father, Jim Gannon, who means to make them shoulder their responsibilities. This downer of a novel by the author of The Returned takes place in a future where people are desperate to survive yet impotent in their struggle to do so. Mott ignores for the most part what could be a fascinating exploration into the plague that's killing everyone, and the main character is not that compelling despite having a rather unusual ability.