Midnight at the Electric

Midnight at the Electric is a novel by Jodi Lynn Anderson that follows the stories of three protagonists living in three different time periods. Lenore’s story is set in 1919 England, Catherine lives in Oklahoma in the year 1934, and Adri’s narrative is set in Kansas in the year 2065. Although their stories span thousands of miles as well as years, the three girls are inextricably connected.

As the novel opens, the reader is immediately plunged into the story of Adri Ortiz, an orphan from Miami, Florida, who has recently received news that she has been selected as a Colonist, one of the few fortunate enough to be selected to live on Mars. The first pages of the book follow Adri as she climbs into her self-driving car and heads for the highway, driving north from Miami to Kansas. The results of climate change have wreaked havoc on certain parts of the United States, and Miami has been submerged underwater. Adri escaped the devastation of her city and is heading to Kansas to undertake some training before she embarks on her journey toward Mars.

Adri, a scientist, is depicted as a rather discerning character with few emotional ties. Seeming to believe she knows exactly what she wants, she is eager to leave Earth behind, feeling that she no longer has anything to gain from the planet, and eager to re-establish herself on Mars. As she is an orphan, she feels no ties to this world and is unfazed about leaving. When Adri arrives in Kansas, she learns about the existence of a distant relative who invites her to come to stay with her on her farm. Lily is 107 years old, and the Galapagos tortoise she lives with is even older. When she first arrives, Adri attempts to lecture Lily about keeping the endangered tortoise as a pet, but she is soon corrected when Lily informs her with her typical edge of sarcasm that the tortoise came along with the property when she inherited it. The tortoise is a source of intrigue for Adri, and as she continues to learn about the creature, she is drawn into the two other narratives that exist alongside her own in the book.



While staying on Lily’s farm, Adri discovers the journal of Catherine Godspeed. As she reads the journal, Adri discovers that Catherine once inhabited the same farm during the Dust Bowl Era of 1934. Adri is drawn in by the journal entries depicting Catherine’s life in vivid detail. She reads on as Catherine admits to fantasizing about her family’s farmhand.

Catherine grows increasingly concerned about her sister, who is suffering gravely due to the amount of dust that she has inhaled. In addition to this, it is becoming apparent that the farm can no longer sustain Catherine and her family. Catherine also writes about an encounter she had with a professor at a traveling show called the Electric, in which she was promised immunity, a prospect that inspires a glimmer of hope in otherwise desperate times.

The third story belongs to Lenore Allenstock and is set in England in 1919. She is still coming to terms with the death of her brother, a casualty of the First World War. She relies solely on her own optimism and the occasional support of a friend in America to get her through this most difficult time of her life. Lenore writes to her friend Beth, telling her of her complicated feelings about the war that seem totally misaligned with the other people around her. In particular, she writes of her good friend James who has been so disfigured as a soldier of war that the sight of his face inspires most people to turn away. She wonders how the people around her can celebrate the sacrifices of the soldiers, and if the loss of life and limbs is really worth it.



As Adri is captivated by the lives of the two other women, she begins to question her decision to leave Earth behind, beginning to feel as though she may have important ties to the planet after all. The novel also explores the relationship between Adri and Lily, who recalls memories of her own childhood, helping Adri to understand more about herself as well as Lenore and Catherine. Adri starts to wonder what has happened to these two women, causing her to launch into a full investigation.

Through Midnight at the Electric, Anderson combines historical fiction and futuristic genres. She introduces themes of environmental conservation and considers what it means to find oneself, regardless of what planet one is on. Anderson expertly weaves together romance, suspense, horror, and heartbreak, and the result is a genuinely thoughtful reflection on the lives of three women throughout history.