The Light Pirate

A bit depressing but the storytelling is good, the interactions between characters is great, the timeline jumps aren't too jarring, and lots of unexpected twists.

*4.5 stars. This wasn't perfect but pretty darn close. It was beautiful, haunting, and riveting.
Stories that are equal parts thoughtful and melancholic expertly interwoven in unique high-stakes situations appear to be Brooks-Dalton's wheelhouse. I gave her debut novel four stars this one four and a half creeping toward five. I cannot wait to read what she writes next.

3.5 ⭐️

Choosing to read this book while vacationing in Florida was perhaps not the wisest decision, but I guess it did give me a certain level of appreciation that I might not have had otherwise...

Set sometime in a not-so-distant future in an ever-shrinking Florida, Wanda is born in the midst of a terrible storm. The story sees this extraordinary child through to adulthood. In her lifetime she's privy to constant changes in her family and climate. Even when things reach total disaster, she's reluctant to leave her home. 

I loved the writing. It was atmospheric and created vivid imagery. What lacked for me was the characterization. I didn't connect to anyone which kept me from getting fully immersed into the story. A ‘me' issue, I'm sure. I did like it, I just didn't latch onto it. 

4.5 ⭐

There were a couple parts of the story I think didn't add anything to the story and it kind of took me out of it. Otherwise it was beautiful

This book was SO BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING. It is easily one of the best books I have read to date. It focused a lot on growth after loss and making the most of your situation. I really liked the “now what” following what was basically an ecological apocalypse perspective of the book and accepting non-closure. I would 10000% recommend reading, especially if you're

• navigating/grieving bigger changes in your life
• interested in the environment/global warming and survival
• looking for a book that will emotionally hook you

The Waterworld prequel! When nature knocks our systems off the grid, what do you do? Do you leave for places that are still untouched? Do you stay and try to repair/reestablish the status quo? Or do you start prepping for a new reality? This book gives a very realistic look of what a few more decades of climate devastation will do to coastal regions in hurricane zones. However much we plan, we ultimately will have to learn to adapt to a new world. This had very similar themes like [b:Good Morning, Midnight 27405160 Good Morning, Midnight Lily Brooks-Dalton https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449682335l/27405160.SX50.jpg 47452606], of isolation, extreme weather, found family, and ultimately human connection. I might not have felt the emotional connection I had with her previous book, but I really enjoyed the vibe and the vivid imagery of this world of swamps and alligators, tree houses, daytime heat and fresh water dives. I question if a certain element of magical realism was necessary to tell this story.

TL;DR: If you loved Station Eleven, I think you'll love The Light Pirate. And that's just about the highest praise I can give.

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Any time a publisher tries to compare a book to Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven, arguably my favorite novel of all time, I'm going to be skeptical. Lucky for me (and readers everywhere), on rare occasion my natural cynicism proves not just unwarranted but spectacularly, joyfully, scream-it-from-the-rooftops wrong. That was the case here. The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton is magnificent.

Fair warning: it is also devastating, on many levels, at many moments. You get attached, and then in an instant - gone. That said, just like in Station Eleven, “post-apocalypic joy” does exist, and it's especially stunning for being heartbreakingly hard-won. (Here, though, it's post-climate destruction, not a global pandemic.)

The writing is beautiful and almost painfully vivid. So many passages struck me, I wound up with pages upon pages of highlights. I won't quote anything in full yet as I know it's an uncorrected proof, but I will say that Lily Brooks-Dalton's metaphors are exquisite.

Speculative fiction is one of my favorite genres. This is one of the most stunning examples of it I've read since, well, Station Eleven. It reminds me of an excerpt of a Dobyns poem I love: “This is where we are in history - to think / the table will remain full; to think the forest will / remain where we have pushed it; to think our bubble of / good fortune will save us from the night”. This is one of those books that I wish everyone would read, not only because it's exceptional (which it is) but because it's critical. To paraphrase Brooks-Dalton, we all know that what we're doing to our world isn't sustainable - but we've hung our hats on the question of proximity, betting that we'll squeak through a closing drawbridge, that the worst won't come until we're gone. The Light Pirate - out later this year - calls our bluff.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.