Earthquakes in Fiction

Today in history - On December 28th, 1908, the most destructive European earthquake struck Italy.  Here are ten books that feature earthquakes in some way.

Absence of Light by Zoe Sharp - There you were, just minding your own business, and suddenly the earth split beneath your feet. Everything good, everything familiar tumbles around you in busted shards, or it's ash, or is on fire. That's the scene of the earthquake where Charlie's working, helping to dig out the living and ID the dead. But it's an all-too-apt metaphor for her personal life. Book 11 in the Charlie Fox series 

The Disaster Days by Rebecca Behrens - Hannah Steele loves living on Pelling, a tiny island near Seattle. It's a little disconnected from the outside world, but she's always felt completely safe there.
Which is why when she's asked one day to babysit after school, she thinks it's no big deal. Zoe and Oscar are her next-door neighbors, and Hannah just took a babysitting class that she's pretty sure makes her an expert. She isn't even worried that she left her inhaler at home.
Then the shaking begins.
The terrifying earthquake only lasts four minutes but it changes everything, damaging the house, knocking out the power, and making cell service nonexistent. Even worse, the ferry and the bridge connecting the kids to help--and their parents--are both blocked. Which means they're stranded and alone... With Hannah in charge, as things go from bad to dangerous.

Eight Days by Edwidge Danticat - While Junior is trapped for 8 days beneath his collapsed house after an earthquake, he uses his imagination for comfort. Drawing on beautiful, everyday-life memories, Junior paints a sparkling picture of Haiti for each of those days--flying kites with his best friend or racing his sister around St. Marc's Square--helping him through the tragedy until he is finally rescued.

Goodnight, Boy by Nikki Sheehan - Wake up. Wake up, Boy. I'm bored. Time passes slowly in here, just you and me. It must be lunchtime. He will let us out soon." A tale of two very different worlds, both shattered by the loss of loved ones. Tragic, comic and full of hope, thanks to a dog called Boy. The kennel has been JC's home ever since JC's new foster father locked them inside. As the hours and days pass, JC tells Boy about how he came to his country: his family, the orphanage and the Haitian earthquake that swept everything away. How, after, his foster mother Melanie brought a new light into his life and brought him to her home country. He started to feel normal again. Until JC did something bad, so bad that he and Boy were banished to the kennel. Now their foster father is getting sicker, Melody still isn't home, and JC and Boy realize that they have to try to escape.

In Times Gone By by Tracie Peterson - After getting left at the altar, Kenzie Gifford flees to San Francisco to start her life over, determined never to love again. She's made new friends and has a good job in the office of her cousin's chocolate factory. The only thorn in her side is Dr. Micah Fisher, who insists on pursuing her despite her constant rejection. Then the Great 1906 Earthquake strikes the city, and everything changes. The devastation all around her makes Kenzie reevaluate her outlook on life--and possibly even her feelings for Micah. But then her world is rocked again when her ex-fiancé appears, full of apologies and determined to win her back. But Arthur already broke her heart once. Does she dare trust him again? The sudden arrival of a hidden danger will expose the motivations of all involved, but it could cost Kenzie her life--as well as her heart. Book 3 in the Golden Gate Secrets series 

The Incense Game by Laura Joh Rowland - When a massive earthquake devastates Japan in 1703, even the shogun's carefully regulated court is left teetering on the brink of chaos. This is no time for a murder investigation--except when a nobleman's daughters are found dead from incense poisoning and their father threatens to topple the regime unless Sano Ichiro tracks down the killer.

Not Quite Enough by Catherine Bybee - After an earthquake and tsunami hit the shores of Jamaica, Monica volunteers her trauma skills with Borderless Nurses. Calculating and methodical, Monica creates order out of whatever chaos she finds-- until she finds the perpetually barefoot, impossibly masculine Trent Fairchild. He's a pilot and manages a small fleet of choppers on his adopted island home. Hopelessly drawn to one another, they manage to slip away from the wreckage to get a little closer. And they get a lot closer than expected when aftershocks from the earthquake trap them in their own life-or-death scenario ... Book 3 in the Not Quite series 

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee - Fifteen-year-old Mercy Wong is determined to break from poverty in Chinatown, and she gains admittance to a prestigious finishing school through a mix of cunning and bribery. She soon discovers that getting in was the easiest part, and must carve a niche among the spoiled heiresses. When the earthquake strikes on April 18, Mercy and her classmates are forced to a survivor encampment, but her quick-witted leadership rallies them to help in the tragedy's aftermath.

The Renegades by Tom Young - Joining troops to deliver aid to an earthquake-decimated region of Afghanistan, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Parson and his interpreter, Sergeant Major Sophia Gold, confront a Taliban splinter group that is shooting aid workers and everyone who accepts help. Book 3 in the Parson and Gold series 

A World Below by Wesley King - Mr. Baker's eighth grade class thought they were in for a normal field trip to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. But when an earthquake hits, their field trip takes a terrifying turn. The students are plunged into an underground lake...and their teacher goes missing.
They have no choice but to try and make their way back above ground, even though no one can agree on the best course of action. The darkness brings out everyone's true self. Supplies dwindle and tensions mount. Pretty and popular Silvia does everything she can to hide her panic attacks, even as she tries to step up and be a leader. But the longer she's underground, the more frequent and debilitating they become. Meanwhile, Eric has always been a social no one, preferring to sit at the back of the class and spend evenings alone. Now, he finds himself separated from his class, totally by himself underground. That is, until he meets an unexpected stranger.