The Light Pirate - Lily Brooks-Dalton

 The Light Pirate - Lily Brooks-Dalton

Release date: Dec. 6, 2022

She read

Born during a hurricane that took her mother and step brother and named for it, Wanda, over her lifetime, is witness to the climatic obliteration of the state of Florida, while step brother Lucas sees the destruction on the west and east coast of the United States. Told in four parts, harnessing the elements of power, water, light, and time, the loss of the world as we know it is chronicled in Wanda’s story. 

I typically do not choose futuristic dystopian novels. This one, however,  intrigued me.  I live on an island in south Florida.  I have seen what was once a popular beach filled with lounge chairs and cabanas become a sodden mud hole, flooded during high tides. And, we are still reeling down here from the massive destruction of hurricane Ian.

Beautifully written and exquisitely detailed, Brooks-Dalton presents a futuristic horror that is all too real.  The beauty and the violence that is both Florida and nature is a repeated theme. Feel the intolerable heat; experience the ever present and rising water. As the novel focused on the survival of those few who chose to stay, it slowed a bit, but was still a fascinating read.  This is a book that will stay with you for a long time. 

Thanks to #netgalley and #grandcentralpublishing for the ARC.

*****

Two additional comments: 1. This is a futuristic horror that is all too real but what can we expect when we have had a governor who forbade his staff from using the words “climate change” and Floridians rewarded him by sending him onto the Senate? You reap what you sow . 2. Wanda seems to have a magical power involving light. I’m not a fan of magical powers in a novel, but  pay attention to Phyllis’ explanation of this as it relates to bacteria in the water….an all too real effect of the storms down here.