The ominous threat of Hurricane Wanda, has pregnant Frieda Lowe's anxiety increasing by the moment. She wanted to evacuate, but her husband Kirby is convinced his preparations will keep them safe and tries to convince her that the storm is predicted to go north of their location.
A storm has been brewing in their relationship as well, as Frieda's fears increase and Kirby resents her lack of trust in his preparations. Neither is right; neither is wrong. They are both good people on the edge. Frieda's experience with a devastating hurricane in which she lost her mother and Kirby's experience as a linesman who has experience in restoring power in the aftermath of hurricanes and who grew up along the Florida coast put them at odds. Frieda's fear and Kirby's confidence clash.
Frieda's fears are realized in more ways than one. Hurricane Wanda's damage reaches a new scale for Florida, and terrible loss and grief for the Lowe family. In the midst of the storm, Frieda goes into labor and delivers a baby girl that she names after the hurricane.
From this point Wanda becomes the focus. The child is well-loved, but different. Her friendship with her older neighbor Phyllis, retired from teaching biology at the university, teaches the young girl much about the nature around her. Initially, Phyllis keeps Wanda after school until Kirby gets home, but eventually there is no more school. By the sixth grade, almost no children remain as families have given up and left.
The Light Pirate is an unusual dystopian work. No sudden disaster like an EMP or a plague that kills with impunity, devastating a population. Instead, even when the novel begins, people have begun expecting the violent changes in weather in the form of fire, flood, or wind. No one expected the changes to come so quickly, by the time Wanda is ten, people are realizing that the infrastructure they've relied on cannot be repaired.
We follow the characters over the years and the adaptations, the difficulty keeping power on, the migration of families to the interior, the eventual evacuations of small towns and finally, the evacuation of Miami. The seas relentless encroachment, the frequent storms, the increasing heat cause the decampment of the coastal population, but the interior has been undergoing changes as well.
The author's prose is beautiful, vibrating with tension at times, but always tender with the characters.
The novel reminded me of At Home on an Unruly Planet (reviewed here), which was nonfiction, but was examining some of the climate changes that have already occurred and what needs to be done in preparation. The Light Pirate, in the hands of an immensely talented Lily Brooks-Dalton, imagines further in the future in the decidedly human characters she creates.
Highly Recommended.
This one does sound interesting, Jenclair. Different from what I usually read, but definitely an intriguing story. Will see if my library has it available. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThe writing is so good! I really loved this one.
DeleteI love dystopian fiction, but wasn't sure about this one because it does sound so different. Good to know your thoughts because we do read very similarly. :D
ReplyDeleteIt is a different approach as the Climate change takes place over decades. From the point that people believe it can be managed until they realize that things will never be like they were. The rising ocean is more powerful than man's attempts to restrain it.
DeleteExcellent review! This was a 5-star read for me last year. I was blown away by the author's writing. I hope she has more coming! (My review is here if you're interested)
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm so glad you felt that way, too! I loved it and her prose was wonderful!
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