These may not be your typical beach reads, but these
two novels by Lily Brooks-Dalton are thought-provoking imaginings that are
haunting in their realism, and entirely plausible in their prophecy.
The Light Pirate
“There is a necessary tension between knowing how
nature works in theory and witnessing it.”
Wanda is born during a hurricane. Although her father
and brother work tirelessly as linemen to keep the lights on, eventually the
strength of the increasingly frequent storms is too much for Florida’s infrastructure
to handle. Most people become climate refugees as the state shuts down for
good, but Wanda stays behind in the only home she’s ever known. Under the
tutelage of Phyllis, a naturalist and survivalist, Wanda becomes adept at
adaptation, the new superpower in this unrelentingly hostile environment.
Good Morning, Midnight
“He had never been satisfied and never would be. It
wasn't success he craved, or even fame, it was history: he wanted to crack the
universe open like a ripe watermelon, to arrange the mess of pulpy seeds before
his dumbfounded colleagues. He wanted to take the dripping red fruit in his
hands and quantify the guts of infinity to look back into the dawn of time and
glimpse the very beginning. He wanted to be remembered.”
Augustine opts to remain in the Arctic after the rest
of the scientists leave upon news of an impending disaster affecting the rest
of the planet. In the hasty departure, he finds that a little girl, Iris, has
been left behind. Meanwhile, Sully and her crew have just been to Jupiter and
must speculate why all communications with Earth have been disrupted. Even
though Augustine has Iris for company, he diligently tries to connect with
others on his ham-radio. In this way, he’s able to connect with Sully who has
been likewise scanning the frequencies for proof of life. Faced with an unknown
future, human connection offers the only hope.
