When a massive earthquake traps Ruby under concrete, life didn’t flash before her eyes. Instead, time began to crawl. Ruby has a companion in the dusty dark, Charlie, who she previously wanted to ask if he’d buy her beer just seconds before the rumbling began. Crushed under the literal weight of the world, with a cell phone to mark the time but not call or text, Ruby will recount the last events before the earthquake – her final conversations and thoughts on her relationships with others in her life. She and Charlie will no longer be strangers though they will never see each other again. This is a character study, and still, a page-turner as the hours become days and survival seems unattainable. It is a quick read that will interest reluctant readers.