I'll go it a go. I am a slow reader with a tendency to get distracted even when I'm enjoying something.

Admittedly it has been over a decade ago now, but I remember being surprised by how much I enjoyed this, too. It was recommended to me from a colleague at my job, and I am the kind of person that just HAS to read things other people love as a way of getting to know them better. I really thought it would not resonate at all, but it did, and I felt it was one of the more realistic survival novels that focused heavily on the day to day life in a world like that.

I am with you on giving old books leeway for having blindspots. I can afford to give outdated books grace and find the parts of them that resonate. Like you, I also want more build up and characters lives BEFORE the bad day. That is sooo fascinating. Those deep breaths before the action are some of my favourite parts of any books.