When There are Wolves Again, EJ Swift
I read this courtesy of Netgalley and the publisher. It’s out in October.
I have never read a book quite like this.
It is one of my favourite books of the year.
Partly it’s the structure. We open with Lucy and Hester talking in 2070, and then swiftly move to Lucy recounting her life, starting as a child going to stay with her grandparents during 2020 (yes, the real 2020). Chapters alternate between Hester – documentary film maker, estranged from her family, a lineage of dogs her constant companions – and Lucy, growing up in a Britain rapidly coming apart thanks to climate change, also largely estranged from her parents. Both women provide a lens through which to understand the ecological changes being wrought – the heat, the floods, the fires – as well as the attempts at mitigation, particularly through rewilding efforts. These two interwoven narratives – lives that have brushed against one another over decades, then finally cross in 2070 – are a beautiful way of exploring different reactions to events, giving two generational perspectives on those events, and laying out the similarities and differences between the two women.
Partly it’s the climate change. I have read a few books focused on its near-future impacts, but it’s not something I have sought out; I generally find such speculation too depressing to want to immerse myself in. And Swift’s vision definitely has its grim aspects. As well, my exposure has tended to focus on America (because cultural imperialism) or Australia (because home). To read about what might happen in Britain – the fires, the impact of 40+ degree heat in a place where homes REALLY aren’t designed for it, let alone the impact on wildlife and particularly birds – was shocking all over again. Perhaps, even probably, this sort of thing has been written before. But I haven’t read it, and I’m going to go out on a limb and say very little will have been written with the lyricism and intensity that Swift brings.
And partly it’s the ultimate hope that Swift holds out. Between 2020 and 2070, truly devastating things happen, death and destruction and political evil (I haven’t even mentioned Albion First yet). And yet. And yet, there are people actively trying to mitigate the worst effects, who struggle on in the face of immense pressure. Greta Thunberg is name-checked. People push on despite obstacles, mostly as a group, and this offers hope.
I loved it.
Ocean: A History of the Atlantic before Columbus
I read this courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. It’s available now.
Broad sweeping history like this, even when done well, is both very intriguing and enjoyable to read, and occasionally frustrating. As long as you know what you’re reading, you can get around that.
To get the frustrating bit out of the way: the book focuses almost entirely on the European experience. It touches briefly on Africa, and even more briefly on the Americas, but largely through a European lens. Now, I am sure that this is partly a dearth of written records – but a significant portion of the book is about pre-history and/or relies on archaeology, so that doesn’t hold as a reason. I would have less of a problem with this if the book itself made clear it was “the European Atlantic,” but it doesn’t.
So, on the understanding that this book is largely about the European experience of the Atlantic before Columbus sailed across it, this is a pretty good book! It’s a survey, so it covers an enormous swathe of time and, within the European bounds, a broad range of cultures too – which does mean it doesn’t have really nitty-gritty detail, but that aspect is entirely expected.
Having recently visited Skara Brae, on Orkney, I was delighted to discover a section on that site, and to learn more about what it reveals of how Neolithic folks used the ocean. Haywood covers what we can know about how humans have eaten from the ocean (isotopes in bones, how amazing), as well as – when the literary sources exist – how they thought about it, used it in myths and stories, and so on. And then of course there’s sailing, for a variety of reasons and in a variety of vessels.
I left this book intrigued by the different ways people have used this ocean over time. I generally enjoyed Haywood’s writing style, and think this is accessible to the general reader.
Randomly Yours, Alex 