Reed Futrell is an engineer at a uranium-enrichment plant in heartland America. His father worked at the very same plant before him. Despite his father's death in a tragic accident at the atomic plant years ago, Reed stays on, proud to perform demanding and dangerous work for the benefit of the nation. As for the radioactive "incidents" he has endured, Reed prefers to think about other things, such as Hubble photographs of distant galaxies, Albert Einstein, his dog.
Reed's casual attitude toward danger infuriates his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Julia, a biologist. Julia is truly Reed's match. Both are witty, curious, and fascinated by science. But when deformed frogs are discovered and news reports reveal evidence of radioactive pollution surrounding the plant, Reed and Julia face an unprecedented challenge.
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"An excellent domestic romance set against the background of an imaginary nuclear-materials facility with a long history of safety violations. Good thing this is just fiction, eh?"
— Sara (5 out of 5 stars)
“Putting her own distinctive spin on the subject, Mason makes An Atomic Romance a Southern heritage novel with a twist…Witty flourishes brighten Mason’s writing…The book is also peppered with scary yet quirky background detail.”
— New York Times Book Review“Mason is a good-natured observer whose narratives are braided with the quotidian routine of consumer culture.”
— Washington Post Book World“Rich, evocative language…[Mason] succeeds by relying on sexy repartee about string theory, a disarmingly addled hero in love with a charmingly sincere heroine and [an] incisive vision of modern families.”
— Richmond Times-Dispatch“Mason conjures utterly believable, ordinary characters in extraordinary circumstances to take a penetrating look at America’s nuclear legacy…Mason packs a punch with a light touch, commenting on the missteps of the past and how we have to live with them.”
— Publishers Weekly“[Mason’s] well-drawn characters are both humbled and haunted by the world in which they live.”
— Booklist" This story doesn't live up to it's title. I was very disappointed. There's not much in the story to call it a romance. Lots of science and scientific talk. The whole main storyline was kind of depressing (aging mother has a stroke, hospitals, nursing homes, problems at work, drunk friend, etc). "
— Diane, 9/14/2013" I did not read more than the first few pages. This author was new to me, but I took a chance because the topic of working in an atomic facility that goes awry interested me. However, the first few pages were so saturated with crude and vulgar language and topics that I could go no further. "
— Gerald, 6/7/2013" Good book, but kind of slow in parts. I loved all the astronomy & physics, but the excruciating detail of the fix-it jobs in the plant was a bit too much. All in all, not terrible and an interesting take on the nuclear industry. "
— Tamlyn, 2/15/2013" I was not the intended audience for this book. "
— Jason, 12/31/2012" Denial is what you are experiencing if you are an engineer in a nuclear plant whose father died in a work-related accident at the same plant. "
— Landismom, 10/25/2012" a strange yet compelling story of a nuclear plant worker who falls in love with a young scientist "
— Michelle, 5/27/2012" Kinda slow, but I like the sciencey side of it and I am sticking it out. I had to return it to the library before finishing, but I might get it again someday just to see how it ends. "
— Ayacalypso, 12/5/2011" I was not the intended audience for this book. "
— Jason, 12/12/2010" a strange yet compelling story of a nuclear plant worker who falls in love with a young scientist "
— Michelle, 5/23/2010" Denial is what you are experiencing if you are an engineer in a nuclear plant whose father died in a work-related accident at the same plant. "
— Landismom, 8/2/2008Bobbie Ann Mason is a bestselling author, winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award, and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, American Book Award, and PEN/Faulkner Award. Her memoir, Clear Springs, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. She is a writer-in-residence at the University of Kentucky.
Arthur Morey has won three AudioFile Magazine “Best Of” Awards, and his work has garnered numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and placed him as a finalist for two Audie Awards. He has acted in a number of productions, both off Broadway in New York and off Loop in Chicago. He graduated from Harvard and did graduate work at the University of Chicago. He has won awards for his fiction and drama, worked as an editor with several book publishers, and taught literature and writing at Northwestern University. His plays and songs have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Milan, where he has also performed.