This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

In comedically exploring how people make decisions that take them down a radical rabbit hole, “The Survivalists” observes how fear driven by disasters from hurricanes to crushing debt can swallow up who we used to be. But the pressures of her work, fear of failure, lack of familial and societal safety nets and a search for meaning somehow lead Aretha down a strange path: selling guns with Aaron’s roommates, living on soy nutrition bars, huddling in bunkers and planning how to survive an apocalypse. Related: Sign up for our free newsletter about books, authors, reading and moreįor the main character Aretha, the story starts with perfect dates with coffee-selling business owner Aaron. In the pre-pandemic era, these people were largely depicted in popular culture as paranoid loons or super-serious reality show contestants.īut anyone can potentially be radicalized into a doomsday prepper, theorizes Kashana Cauley, writer for the animated TV show “The Great North” and former staff writer for “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.” In her first novel, “The Survivalists,” out now from Soft Skull Press, Cauley explores how it might occur for a successful Black lawyer looking for love while vying for partnership at her firm in New York City. Whether anticipating government standoffs or a zombie apocalypse, they are preparing for total societal and economic collapse. Doomsday preppers, or survivalists, are those who take planning for worst-case scenarios to the next level.

Kashana cauley the survivalists