The Falling by Carole Hailey #thefalling @carolehaileyx @atlanticbooks #speculativefiction #bookreview

 

Cassie had an unconventional childhood, growing up with a father who spent all of his time preparing for the apocalypse. Instead of going to school, she had an eccentric curriculum at the kitchen table with her mum, and instead of going out to play, she either snuck off to see her beloved grandparents or went to the family safe space, a garage that had been sealed off and stocked with tinned food and emergency batteries.

Now middle-aged and living alone, Cassie continues the rhythms of preparing for the worst, even though her dad failed to prepare for the slow-motion tragedy that became their family. But when an asteroid is located in the solar system, the chance of impact in northern Europe climbing every day, the worst finally seems to be confirmed. Cassie's strange dad might just turn out to have been her salvation...

The Falling by Carole Hailey was published by Atlantic Books on 5 November 2026. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

Carole Hailey is an incredible writer. This is her third book and I loved her previous two (The Silence Project and Scenes From A Tragedy), with a passion, regularly recommending both of them to people. I was so intrigued to discover what she would do next. 

This is speculative fiction at its finest. Once again, this extremely talented author has produced a novel that entertains, informs and makes the reader think. It may be complete speculation but it feels really prescient. 

Published just as the UK Government launched their 'Be Ready' campaign, with advice to citizens to ensure they have supplies in store in case of power/water loss, this is a novel that deals with just that sort of event ...... but on a far larger scale. This is the end of the world. An asteroid in the solar system is on track to hit Earth, and southern England is the centre of the target.

Cassie is a lonely, isolated woman whose father was a 'prepper'. Long before the talk of asteroids he prepared his small family for the unexpected and although her parents are both now dead, Cassie has kept up those beliefs. 
She is also tortured. Tortured by anxiety, eaten up with misplaced guilt. She believes that it is her fault that her family are dead and spends hours and hours trying to absolve herself, led on by a voice that she names 'the rat'.

As the asteroid gets nearer and nearer and society begins to break down completely, Cassie forms two unusual relationships and it is Cy and Kit who accompany her through the darkest days, but who also make her feel wanted and even loved. It is a pleasure to see these relationships grow, albeit with the knowledge that they may not have longevity. 

This is not just a novel of fiction though, it's a look at the behaviour of humans when under pressure. The author cleverly and quite scathingly includes detail of British people who are desperate to cross over to Europe and who meet barriers all the way. Very familiar to most of us and very telling too! With echoes of behaviours shown during the recent Covid pandemic and the utter contempt some show for their fellow humans, this makes for emotionally challenging reading sometimes. 

Utterly captivating, with beautiful prose and characters who will begin to live in your head. Another triumph and most certainly one of my books of the year. Highly recommended. 

Carole Hailey completed a six-month Guardian/UEA novel writing course taught by Bernardine Evaristo, then promptly abandoned her career in law to undertake an MA in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths and a PhD in Creative Writing at Swansea University. 

Her debut, The Silence Project, was a BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick, Waterstones Welsh Book of the Month and a Kindle No. 1 bestseller. 

Carole's second novel, Scenes from a Tragedy,was shortlisted for the 2026 CWA Twisted Dagger.