When searching for new books to explore for the early part of 2023, I came across The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton, a story that explores a future where the state of Florida is slowly (but surely) sinking below the ever-rising water. It is the kind of premise that always fascinates me, one that seeks to answer a seemingly impossible question about changing weather, and what it would be like to live where land no longer exists.
The Situation: The day that Wanda is born is the same day one of the worst hurricanes in Florida's history makes landfall, but her mother decides to name her daughter after the storm. As a small child, Wanda is smart, curious, brave, but also an outcast. The people of Rudder still remember the storm she was named after, and it seems to follow her around almost like a curse. It is on one fateful day when she defies her father and rides to the Edge that she discovers something else that may have been given to her when she was born. Something that seems to connect her even more to the water that covers a little more land every year, slowly promising to change the way everyone lives.
The Problem: While Miami is the first to be evacuated, it is clear that the rest of Florida, as well as other parts of the country, is in trouble too. But Wanda's father, Kirby, refuses to leave. Instead, he continues to do the work he has always done as a lineman, even though he and his dwindling crew can no longer restore electricity fast enough. The city is running out of money, people are quickly moving to other more inhabitable cities in the country, and the water keeps rising along with the temperatures. As Wanda gets older, the earth continues to change, and she has to adapt along with it, eventually leaning into the curious ability that has always connected her to the water.
Genre, Themes, History: This book is a work of fiction, set in the real state of Florida, but the town of Rudder is fictional. In a not too distant future, hurricane Wanda causes an incredible amount of devastation to the Florida coast, something the residents are reminded of every time they see the little girl who was named after the storm. The reader follows Wanda as she grows up, and the book explores a future where climate change causes Florida to disappear under the water, but the rest of the country will have its own issues, and eventually, as the years move on, no one place will be as it was. Some move on, while others have prepared to stay behind, and there are the near constant questions of what comes next? Is it worth staying? Will moving away solve anything?
My Verdict: The fear and anxiety that takes over a community when a major natural disaster is heading their way can be felt from the first page of this book. And it is not only the imminent arrival of hurricane Wanda that causes it. The family dynamic between Kirby, his new wife, and his sons adds to the tension. And when the storm finally hits, it brings the devastation we would expect, but also a few surprises. This is the tension that the story will hold for all of its 300+ pages, exploring a possible future where climate change works both slowly and quickly. I admire the storytelling, and I enjoyed having the narrator shift focus onto different characters with each new chapter. Parts of it felt like an outright indictment of the way things are handled now, with no amount of uncertainty as to what the effects will be. It will certainly cause readers to think about what is happening around us, and what our future could look like.
Favorite Moment: At first, Wanda was not excited about having to spend her afternoons with Phyllis. But when she realizes those afternoons will be spent exploring and learning with the retired biology instructor, it becomes her favorite part of the day.
Favorite Character: Phyllis is a survivalist who saw all of this coming, but the reality of it does not give her any real satisfaction, even though she was right. The lessons she gives Wanda will help the girl throughout her life.
Recommended Reading: Certain aspects of this book remind of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, and the mass amounts of people who were leaving the land they always lived on for (literal) greener pastures. I also recommend The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez.
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