The Survivalists

Perpetually single and reeling from the death of her parents, Aretha, a young Black lawyer in NYC, longs to succeed at something. Then she meets Aaron, a coffee entrepreneur who lives in a crumbling Brooklyn brownstone with his roommates, who have been traumatized by Hurricane Sandy. They spend their time building a bunker, stockpiling illegal guns, and eating soy protein bars as they prepare for the next disaster. Aretha soon gets caught up in their world and must reckon with her own morals. Cauley’s debut is a smart social horror reminiscent of Jordan Peele’s movies or an episode of Black Mirror. Cauley, whose wide-ranging résumé includes working as a Manhattan antitrust lawyer and writing for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, deftly interweaves the humanity of those affected by systemic oppression, economic instability, and climate disasters. Narrator Bahni Turpin explores the ways in which individuals can be swept up into something much larger than themselves. Turpin voices all the characters with sympathy and grace, giving depth and a certain amount of sympathy even to villainous characters.