Fission: A Novel of Atomic Heartbreak

Fission: A Novel of Atomic Heartbreak is a WWII story that covers a different ‘front’—a little-known group of technical/electronic intellectuals who gave up much to stop Hitler. They were part of the USA’s secret Manhattan Project, the government’s effort to develop a nuclear bomb. The author tells the story of the bomb’s development in Oak Ridge, Tennessee by the round-the-clock work of high-level-clearance scientists and engineers, as well as the effects on their families.

Nineteen-year-old college student Doris falls in love with tall, handsome Rob and in the throngs of young love, finds herself pregnant. They have a quickie wedding. Rob begins working in Oak Ridge; though not a degreed scientist or engineer, his natural aptitude and previous work connections open the doors for him. Their baby is born premature and sickly and Doris feels like a failure as a mother; she ends up alone with her baby in Chicago, barely making ends meet. She resents she had to give up her dream of being a concert pianist and obtaiing a college degree. Her wealthy uncle encourages her to continue her studies and devises a scheme to help her finish her senior year of college.

Rob is lonely and misses her. He begs her to join him with the baby in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Doris reluctantly agrees. It’s an adventure she didn’t bargain for as she waits till the baby’s a few months old, then travels by train in late spring. It’s the first they’ve really lived together as a family. They are allotted a fresh, new, two-bedroom house. The streets are not yet paved and the sidewalks are wood planks. Bus service is difficult to maneuver for Doris without proper sidewalks and a baby carriage. Most of her neighbors are also young and there are many young children in the neighborhood. Doris has her piano shipped to Oak Ridge and begins giving piano lessons. The neighborhood women socialize and form friendships. They play cards together and babysit for each other, which makes errands much easier to complete, especially when the weather is bad.

The scientists have most weekends off. This provides the young couples time for parties, dancing, and socializing with each other. Doris hosts many dinner parties and provides piano music for dancing. People from many different parts of the USA are meeting people who are different from themselves. Doris is Jewish and becomes close friends with a southern debutante. Neither of them had ever met anyone like the other before. There is espionage (the Russians wanted the atomic bomb before the Americans), infidelity, marital spats, and radiation exposure. These circumstances give Doris plenty of chances to learn and grow and change. 

It reminded me of the times I spent as a young married woman living on a large Marine Corps base during the Vietnam War years. It’s a strange phenomenon to live in housing developments with all young neighbors. Fission is a worthwhile read and the author skillfully sheds light on a little-known aspect of WWII. This novel is loosely based on the author’s parent’s lives.