Literary

Weather, Jenny Offill

The mammoth threat of climate change looms large over the ephemera of modern life in this novel filled with dread and humour. –Esquire From the author of the nationwide best seller Dept. of Speculation–one of the New York Times Book Review‘s Ten Best Books of the Year–a shimmering tour de […]

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Split Tooth, Tanya Taqaq

This book is being read and discussed at the Cambridge Ecofiction Bookclub in January 2020. According to Goodreads, Veering back and forth between the grittiest features of a small arctic town, the electrifying proximity of the world of animals, and ravishing world of myth, Tanya Tagaq explores a world where […]

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Ghost Species, James Bradley

We originally published this news on October 25, 2019: James Bradley tweeted the cover reveal of his May 2020 novel, Ghost Species. See below. Update: The book is now listed at Goodreads. Goodreads Reviews Back to GoodReads Delighted to reveal the cover of my new novel, Ghost Species. Out May […]

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Disappearing Earth, Julia Phillips

It’s possible, though, that novelists are responding to the effects of climate change in ways other than direct representation…Julia Phillips’s brilliant debut novel “Disappearing Earth” is what Jane Allison calls a “radial” narrative — one where some inciting incident creates ripples that move outward and often compound in complexity rather […]

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Greenwood, Michael Christie

In an era of so much uncertainty, it is comforting to see novelists begin to work through the biggest issue of our age. And, in this case, convert our collective suffering into brilliant, beauty-filled art. There is a kind of hope in that. With any luck, “Greenwood” will spur readers to […]

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The Hollow Middle, John Popielaski

Author: © John Popielaski Type: Fiction Novel Publisher/Ordering: Unsolicited Press Publication Date: December 4, 2018 Author Links: Author website Back to the Dragonfly Library Book Description: The primary narrative thread, Albert seeking a more authentic off-the-grid life in Maine, attempts to subvert that archetypal storyline of someone fleeing to the woods to escape […]

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Memory Police, Yōko Ogawa

The book is practically a novelization of German pastor Martin Niemoller’s post-World War II poem “First they came …,” but the environmental effects of the disappearances of things like roses and fruit make Ogawa’s prose feel applicable not just to political atrocities like genocide but to climate change or any […]

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Dyschronia, Jennifer Mills

Jennifer Mills’ Dyschronia has climate at its core. In the book, the sea around the small town of Clapstone vanishes. Sam, her main character, has a unique sense of time: she can see into the future, but is she predicting what is going to happen or is she ensuring that […]

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The Old Drift, Namwali Serpell

On the banks of the Zambezi River, a few miles from the majestic Victoria Falls, there was once a colonial settlement called The Old Drift. Here begins the story of a small African nation, told by a swarm-like chorus that calls itself man’s greatest nemesis. Goodreads Reviews Back to GoodReads

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The Ice Shelf, Anne Kennedy

Well, there’s eco-poetry (serious and important), and The Eco-Comedy Video Festival (naf so far, unfortunately), so I think eco-fiction is still fresh. God knows we need gallows humour when contemplating the state of the planet. -Author interview, Stuff, New Zealand The Ice Shelf is an electrifying allegory for the dangers […]

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She Would Be King, Wayétu Moore

Animals have inspired some of the most memorable moments in African storytelling. In 17th century Ethiopia, Galawdewos repeatedly relies on the appearance or the death of animals to portray Walatta Petros’ miraculous saintly power. When animals are incorporated in ritual process, the visual effect is powerful. The image of Ozidi […]

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The Forbidden Place, Susanne Jansson

A book, television show, or movie set somewhere in Scandinavia leads the reader or viewer to expect dark, foreboding landscapes and ominous, threatening events. Susanne Jansson’s sparkling debut novel The Forbidden Place fulfills these expectations in a myriad of absorbing ways. –Run Spot Run In the remote Swedish wetlands lies […]

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The River, Peter Heller

The real delight is the nature writing. The River is a fiction addition to the New Landscape writing of Robert Macfarlane and Rebecca Solnit, prose so vivid and engaging that a city-dwelling reviewer can feel the clammy cold of a fog over a river or the heat of subterranean tree roots […]

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Bangkok Wakes to Rain, Pitchaya Sudbanthad

Recreates the experience of living in Thailand’s aqueous climate so viscerally that you can feel the water rising around your ankles. -Ron Charles, Washington Post Goodreads Reviews Back to Goodreads

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To Follow Elephants, Rick Hodges

Click here to return to the series In today’s world series, we travel back to the continent of Africa, this time with author Rick Hodges; we talk about his visits to Kenya and his new novel To Follow Elephants (Stormbird Press, March 2019). Stick around, because this summer we will […]

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