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The Light Pirate
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Science Fiction (2023)Set in the near future, this hopeful story of survival and resilience follows Wanda—a luminous child born out of a devastating hurricane—as she navigates a rapidly changing world.
Florida is slipping away. As devastating weather patterns and rising sea levels wreak gradual havoc on the state’s infrastructure, a powerful hurricane approaches a small town on the southeastern coast. Kirby Lowe, an electrical line worker, his pregnant wife, Frida, and their two sons, Flip and Lucas, prepare for the worst. When the boys go missing just before the hurricane hits, Kirby heads out into the high winds in search of his children. Left alone, Frida goes into premature labor and gives birth to an unusual child, Wanda, whom she names after the catastrophic storm that ushers her into a society closer to collapse than ever before.
As Florida continues to unravel, Wanda grows. Moving from childhood to adulthood, adapting not only to the changing landscape, but also to the people who stayed behind in a place abandoned by civilization, Wanda loses family, gains community, and ultimately, seeks adventure, love, and purpose in a place remade by nature.
Told in four parts—power, water, light, and time— The Light Pirate mirrors the rhythms of the elements and the sometimes quick, sometimes slow dissolution of the world as we know it. It is a meditation on the changes we would rather not see, the future we would rather not greet, and a call back to the beauty and violence of an untamable wilderness.
Includes a Reading Group Guide.
Florida is slipping away. As devastating weather patterns and rising sea levels wreak gradual havoc on the state’s infrastructure, a powerful hurricane approaches a small town on the southeastern coast. Kirby Lowe, an electrical line worker, his pregnant wife, Frida, and their two sons, Flip and Lucas, prepare for the worst. When the boys go missing just before the hurricane hits, Kirby heads out into the high winds in search of his children. Left alone, Frida goes into premature labor and gives birth to an unusual child, Wanda, whom she names after the catastrophic storm that ushers her into a society closer to collapse than ever before.
As Florida continues to unravel, Wanda grows. Moving from childhood to adulthood, adapting not only to the changing landscape, but also to the people who stayed behind in a place abandoned by civilization, Wanda loses family, gains community, and ultimately, seeks adventure, love, and purpose in a place remade by nature.
Told in four parts—power, water, light, and time— The Light Pirate mirrors the rhythms of the elements and the sometimes quick, sometimes slow dissolution of the world as we know it. It is a meditation on the changes we would rather not see, the future we would rather not greet, and a call back to the beauty and violence of an untamable wilderness.
Includes a Reading Group Guide.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published December 6, 2022
About the author
Lily Brooks-Dalton
3 books956 followersLily Brooks-Dalton's most recent novel is The Light Pirate, a #1 Indie Next pick for December 2022, a Good Morning America Book Club selection, one of NPR's "Books We Love," and a New York Times Editors' Pick. She is also the author of Good Morning, Midnight, which has been translated into seventeen languages and was the inspiration for the film adaptation The Midnight Sky, and the memoir, Motorcycles I’ve Loved, which was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. A former writer-in-residence at The Kerouac House and The Studios of Key West, she currently lives in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,691 reviews
February 13, 2024
"The Light Pirate" by Lily Brooks-Dalton is Apocalyptic and Literary Fiction laced with Magical Realism!
A child is born during, and her mother names her after, Hurricane Wanda. .
Wanda witnesses a plethora of changes in her lifetime. Change is her only constant. Change in weather patterns, in what family looks like, and what the world surrounding and nurturing her begins to reclaim.
Born with keen senses, Wanda knows she's different, still she's reluctant to share her specialness with others when it's something she can't quite comprehend herself...
I read and loved this authors' debut "Good Morning, Midnight" and I was quickly drawn into this, her sophomore novel.
This story is divided into four parts titled for the elements of Power, Water, Light, and Time. The setting is Southeast Florida in a time when hurricanes become stronger, more frequent, power less reliable, and Florida's coastline begins to slowly dissolve into the ocean. Nature begins to reclaim what's Hers!
For the four elements, while Power is whiplash fast, Water, Light, and Time are slower, hold more detail and reflection. There are contrasts in the apocalyptic landscape and a feeling of otherness in the air that's both beautiful and frighteningly unrecognizable. The authors' writing creates pictures that are vivid and tangible, yet eminently solitary. There is an essence of loneliness. Wanda's loneliness.
I love "The Light Pirate", how it's written, how all the characters surrounding Wanda and connect her world, give continuity to her specialness! This author has me awestruck by the creativity and emotional impact of her storytelling, once again. I highly recommend!
All the stars for "The Light Pirate"!
Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Lily Brooks-Dalton for an ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.
A child is born during, and her mother names her after, Hurricane Wanda. .
Wanda witnesses a plethora of changes in her lifetime. Change is her only constant. Change in weather patterns, in what family looks like, and what the world surrounding and nurturing her begins to reclaim.
Born with keen senses, Wanda knows she's different, still she's reluctant to share her specialness with others when it's something she can't quite comprehend herself...
I read and loved this authors' debut "Good Morning, Midnight" and I was quickly drawn into this, her sophomore novel.
This story is divided into four parts titled for the elements of Power, Water, Light, and Time. The setting is Southeast Florida in a time when hurricanes become stronger, more frequent, power less reliable, and Florida's coastline begins to slowly dissolve into the ocean. Nature begins to reclaim what's Hers!
For the four elements, while Power is whiplash fast, Water, Light, and Time are slower, hold more detail and reflection. There are contrasts in the apocalyptic landscape and a feeling of otherness in the air that's both beautiful and frighteningly unrecognizable. The authors' writing creates pictures that are vivid and tangible, yet eminently solitary. There is an essence of loneliness. Wanda's loneliness.
I love "The Light Pirate", how it's written, how all the characters surrounding Wanda and connect her world, give continuity to her specialness! This author has me awestruck by the creativity and emotional impact of her storytelling, once again. I highly recommend!
All the stars for "The Light Pirate"!
Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Lily Brooks-Dalton for an ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.
January 15, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Straight up a masterpiece.
I have read over 100 books this year and this one is one of the best I’ve read in my entire life!
In The Light Pirate, Lily Brooks-Dalton has crafted a beautifully written and deeply affecting novel about the enduring strength of community in the face of natural disaster.
The story follows Wanda, a young girl growing up in Florida as it begins to crumble under the effects of climate change. As the state descends into chaos, Wanda loses her family and finds herself living with a new community of survivors who have learned to adapt to the new, wild landscape.
What makes this novel so powerful is Brooks-Dalton's skillful portrayal of the ways in which people can come together in times of crisis, forming bonds that last long after the disaster has passed. We see Wanda grow from a child into an adult, adjusting not only to the changing scenery but also to the people who stayed behind in a region abandoned by society.
The Light Pirate is told in four parts—power, water, light, and time—reflecting the cycles of the elements and the sometimes fast, sometimes gradual breakdown of the world as we know it. It is a meditation on the changes we don't want to see, the future we don't want to face, and a return to the beauty and violence of an untamable wilderness.
This is a powerful and important novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗛𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸. 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆.
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Straight up a masterpiece.
I have read over 100 books this year and this one is one of the best I’ve read in my entire life!
In The Light Pirate, Lily Brooks-Dalton has crafted a beautifully written and deeply affecting novel about the enduring strength of community in the face of natural disaster.
The story follows Wanda, a young girl growing up in Florida as it begins to crumble under the effects of climate change. As the state descends into chaos, Wanda loses her family and finds herself living with a new community of survivors who have learned to adapt to the new, wild landscape.
What makes this novel so powerful is Brooks-Dalton's skillful portrayal of the ways in which people can come together in times of crisis, forming bonds that last long after the disaster has passed. We see Wanda grow from a child into an adult, adjusting not only to the changing scenery but also to the people who stayed behind in a region abandoned by society.
The Light Pirate is told in four parts—power, water, light, and time—reflecting the cycles of the elements and the sometimes fast, sometimes gradual breakdown of the world as we know it. It is a meditation on the changes we don't want to see, the future we don't want to face, and a return to the beauty and violence of an untamable wilderness.
This is a powerful and important novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗛𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸. 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆.
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December 30, 2022
Oh no, you didn’t. Oh yes, you did!!! You took me on a dystopian tour. Me, who isn’t a fan of the genre. But that’s what I said and you had me in Good Morning, Midnight. Now you’ve spun your talent again and sucked me right into the vortex.
Wanda is a 9 year old child born during the largest hurricane ever in Florida. Named after the storm even. There is power in that name.
Florida continues to disappear as hurricanes pummel the state. I lived through this one. It was a powerfully frightening one.
The themes of climate change, politics, loss, survival at the centre of this action packed story.
Well played!
5⭐️
Wanda is a 9 year old child born during the largest hurricane ever in Florida. Named after the storm even. There is power in that name.
Florida continues to disappear as hurricanes pummel the state. I lived through this one. It was a powerfully frightening one.
The themes of climate change, politics, loss, survival at the centre of this action packed story.
Well played!
5⭐️
May 25, 2024
As We Know It, It’s the End of the World – REM (folded over)
Florida is being battered by hurricanes and quickly losing ground to the ocean. Relocation allowances, limited to Miami, have run out. The federal government has announced the entire state’s closure, released back into the wild. There are few places to run as conditions are worsening everywhere. Global warming is no longer just some far away concern– the bills have come due.
Kirby Lowe is an emergency lineman who fought a losing battle to keep everyone’s lights on as he watched his family pay the price for his dedication. A catastrophic storm named Wanda roars up to not only take his young son Flip, but also his wife Frida as she is giving birth to a baby girl. Before dying, Frida insists her baby be named after the storm.
Born of all this chaos, Wanda grows up to witness nearly everyone she knows abandoning the area. One neighbor, Phyllis, takes her under her wing and teaches her the nuts and bolts of survivalism… how to weather the storm when nature grows its harshest. Phyllis is impressed at how well Wanda adapts but she is astounded to see the supernatural connection the girl has with the new emerging ecosystem.
“The Light Pirate” is not a lecture on the evils this world is committing, it is a hopeful imagining of what happens next. We are taken down into what the destruction could look like and then we rise with Wanda to see nature’s new possibilities. Lily Brooks-Dalton has taken a chilly topic and transformed it into an exciting and brilliant book.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #TheLightPirate #NetGalley
Florida is being battered by hurricanes and quickly losing ground to the ocean. Relocation allowances, limited to Miami, have run out. The federal government has announced the entire state’s closure, released back into the wild. There are few places to run as conditions are worsening everywhere. Global warming is no longer just some far away concern– the bills have come due.
Kirby Lowe is an emergency lineman who fought a losing battle to keep everyone’s lights on as he watched his family pay the price for his dedication. A catastrophic storm named Wanda roars up to not only take his young son Flip, but also his wife Frida as she is giving birth to a baby girl. Before dying, Frida insists her baby be named after the storm.
Born of all this chaos, Wanda grows up to witness nearly everyone she knows abandoning the area. One neighbor, Phyllis, takes her under her wing and teaches her the nuts and bolts of survivalism… how to weather the storm when nature grows its harshest. Phyllis is impressed at how well Wanda adapts but she is astounded to see the supernatural connection the girl has with the new emerging ecosystem.
“The Light Pirate” is not a lecture on the evils this world is committing, it is a hopeful imagining of what happens next. We are taken down into what the destruction could look like and then we rise with Wanda to see nature’s new possibilities. Lily Brooks-Dalton has taken a chilly topic and transformed it into an exciting and brilliant book.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #TheLightPirate #NetGalley
December 6, 2022
Wow! What a read!
This is a frightening book.
So frightening because of the changes that are happening on earth today.
This story is centered around a girl named Wanda.. named after the hurricane, as she was born in the midst of it.
This story is about trying to survive after catastrophic climate changes and takes place entirely in Florida.
Beautiful writing.
I now need to go look into this author’s other books!
Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC
This is a frightening book.
So frightening because of the changes that are happening on earth today.
This story is centered around a girl named Wanda.. named after the hurricane, as she was born in the midst of it.
This story is about trying to survive after catastrophic climate changes and takes place entirely in Florida.
Beautiful writing.
I now need to go look into this author’s other books!
Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC
December 15, 2023
4.5 climate fiction stars!
A truly unique and unforgettable read! If someone described this book to me prior to reading it, I wouldn’t have been interested. I’m so glad I went into this not knowing the dystopian and fantastical aspects as those are usually deal breakers for me. If you are like me and shy away from these elements in books, please don’t let them deter you. They are done in a light tone, adding thought provoking layers to the story but not being the full focus. It was a pleasant surprise that I connected so strongly with this considering the inclusion of these aspects.
The book introduces us to Frida, pregnant wife of Kirby and stepmother to his two sons. I had an immediate intense connection with Frida, finding much of her life relatable — a stepmom, married to a workaholic electrician (my husband isn’t a lineman like Kirby, but he specializes in street lighting). The writing was extremely atmospheric and had me immersed in the plot and character relationships from the first sentence and never once let go.
This is a coming of age story as much as it is a story of climate crisis. So much to consider within these pages. I did find that the last quarter of the novel lost a bit of intensity however it still had me fully connected and invested.
I’m intentionally being vague in my plot descriptions of this wonderful book as I feel it’s best to go in blind and experience this story alongside the endearing characters that will touch your heart and challenge your thoughts.
Thank you to my lovely local library for the loan!
A truly unique and unforgettable read! If someone described this book to me prior to reading it, I wouldn’t have been interested. I’m so glad I went into this not knowing the dystopian and fantastical aspects as those are usually deal breakers for me. If you are like me and shy away from these elements in books, please don’t let them deter you. They are done in a light tone, adding thought provoking layers to the story but not being the full focus. It was a pleasant surprise that I connected so strongly with this considering the inclusion of these aspects.
The book introduces us to Frida, pregnant wife of Kirby and stepmother to his two sons. I had an immediate intense connection with Frida, finding much of her life relatable — a stepmom, married to a workaholic electrician (my husband isn’t a lineman like Kirby, but he specializes in street lighting). The writing was extremely atmospheric and had me immersed in the plot and character relationships from the first sentence and never once let go.
This is a coming of age story as much as it is a story of climate crisis. So much to consider within these pages. I did find that the last quarter of the novel lost a bit of intensity however it still had me fully connected and invested.
I’m intentionally being vague in my plot descriptions of this wonderful book as I feel it’s best to go in blind and experience this story alongside the endearing characters that will touch your heart and challenge your thoughts.
Thank you to my lovely local library for the loan!
December 11, 2022
I couldn’t put it down!!!!
If I were still writing reviews- I might have a lot to say —
Powerful- devastating- great characters - interesting storytelling…..
….opened new thoughts for me about our declining climate (and our relationship to the realities of destruction).
“They would endure the elements as the very first people, had, with respect and curiosity and the inter-dependence Wanda was born into. This would be how Phyllis spent her remaining time on this earth. Hadn’t humans lived this way for thousands of years? They must learn to live this way once more—she was certain of it. The structures they built would bend and break, and they would make new ones. There would be nothing so precious that they couldn’t begin again. And again”.
If I were still writing reviews- I might have a lot to say —
Powerful- devastating- great characters - interesting storytelling…..
….opened new thoughts for me about our declining climate (and our relationship to the realities of destruction).
“They would endure the elements as the very first people, had, with respect and curiosity and the inter-dependence Wanda was born into. This would be how Phyllis spent her remaining time on this earth. Hadn’t humans lived this way for thousands of years? They must learn to live this way once more—she was certain of it. The structures they built would bend and break, and they would make new ones. There would be nothing so precious that they couldn’t begin again. And again”.
June 10, 2023
As a Floridian, reading this book was a bit disturbing in how realistic it is. The setting is a Florida in the near future where the extreme weather results in the state slowly being reclaimed by Mother Nature. But despite the climate-change inspired dystopian setting, this book really is a character study novel more than anything. So if you’re the kind of person who needs an action driven plot, this book might not be for you. Personally I love novels like this, though I did wish the one magical- realism element had been explained or expanded upon further.
May 14, 2023
Good Morning, Midnight, a debut novel is a beautiful story by Lily Brooks-Dalton and is the reason I wanted to read this one. I’m always a little apprehensive about reading the second novel, afraid I won’t love it as much as the first. There was nothing to worry about. This one is as intense and intimate and deeply moving with characters who will stay with me. It’s an important story for our time. Both of these stories are about our relationships and the decisions we make.
There’s an ominous feel of the early chapters, laden with dread, with fear for what is to come , but little do we know … The sadness of loss is overwhelming, tempered only by the deep in the heart bonds of family born into and family made out of necessity and caring and generosity. The urgent will to survive in spite of or maybe because of the disasters, in this case the hurricanes that devastate and demolish Florida is incredibly powerful. Kirby, at first not always perfect dad, filled me with admiration for his desire to restore power to help people survive. His wife Frida filled me with awe in her perception of what was happening . Lucas filled me with sadness and admiration for him, too, in making extremely difficult decisions. Phyllis filled my mind with the idea that science and thoughtful planning are imperative for our future. Wanda lit up my heart and gave me hope.
Imagining that this could happen is too real to ignore, but there is no preaching here . There are characters, whose fates are not what you hope for them and by extension for yourself and your family, for mankind. The writing is stunningly beautiful.
There’s an ominous feel of the early chapters, laden with dread, with fear for what is to come , but little do we know … The sadness of loss is overwhelming, tempered only by the deep in the heart bonds of family born into and family made out of necessity and caring and generosity. The urgent will to survive in spite of or maybe because of the disasters, in this case the hurricanes that devastate and demolish Florida is incredibly powerful. Kirby, at first not always perfect dad, filled me with admiration for his desire to restore power to help people survive. His wife Frida filled me with awe in her perception of what was happening . Lucas filled me with sadness and admiration for him, too, in making extremely difficult decisions. Phyllis filled my mind with the idea that science and thoughtful planning are imperative for our future. Wanda lit up my heart and gave me hope.
Imagining that this could happen is too real to ignore, but there is no preaching here . There are characters, whose fates are not what you hope for them and by extension for yourself and your family, for mankind. The writing is stunningly beautiful.
September 26, 2022
Frida has been through a devastating hurricane once when she was younger, and is always terrified as they approach, but especially now that she is pregnant. Her husband Kirby is focused on preparing their home, boarding up the windows, and making sure they’ll be safe. As an electrical line worker, he knows he��ll have to check on the lines, as well, that’s his job. He leaves the boys, Flip and Lucas with Frida and soon after she begins to experience labor pains, so she goes to lie down and rest. Meanwhile, the brothers leave without telling her, and when Kirby returns, there is a new member of his family, a daughter, Wanda, who Frida names after the storm that summoned her birth.
Everything changes for Kirby and his family on that night. All the loss surrounding so many is devastating, but there is also a generosity of spirit by those whose loss is replaceable. A broken window, a car smashed by a fallen tree, loss of electricity. These are nothing compared to the loss of human lives, to losing those that you love.
As Wanda grows and attends school, she is taunted and ostracized for her name and its association with the hurricane that arrived as she was born. At one point they come dangerously close to worse when a group holds her under water. What happens makes it apparent that she has a gift, a gift that even she doesn’t understand.
Separated into four sections titled Power , Water , Light , and Time there is so much more to this story. So much beauty in these pages, and also much desperation as living in this place becomes untenable. There are few who have the skills necessary to survive what will come. Little by little, homes are left vacant, businesses abandoned, and life changes drastically. As time passes Wanda loses other loved ones, but finds comfort in nature, even as it rapidly changes. The world has forever changed, still, somehow she holds on to hope.
Slightly more than six years ago I read Lily Brooks-Dalton’s Good Morning, Midnight’, one of those books that quietly seep into your heart and soul, and so beautifully written, so when I saw this one, I knew I wanted to read it. This one stole both my heart and soul completely. I found the same sense of quiet isolation, that same sense of serenity despite the chaos, as well as the author’s ability to pull me into this story completely.
A beautifully shared, powerful story.
Pub Date: 06 Dec 2022
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Grand Central Publishing
January 26, 2023
"They had all hung their hats on the question of proximity. Yes, it will be bad, they’d said to one another, but we have years. We have time. Somehow we’ll solve this along the way."
Two days ago it snowed where I live. We got a couple inches and I delighted in its beauty, taking a walk in the woods, admiring how it lay on the branches and carpeted the ground. I dressed in layers, keeping out the bitter wind and 20°-ish temps.
Yesterday it was 45° F. (7° C.) and the ground was green again. This morning I woke to a fresh blanket of white and it's been snowing since, dumping at least a couple inches of snow so far.
I checked the Weather Channel to see how much we would get, only to be told it was 44° (nope, in the 20s) and raining. More and more they get it wrong, way wrong.
Unlike when I was a kid, the snow no longer stays for weeks or even months. It snows and melts, snows and melts, the temperatures rising way above freezing after each ever shorter cold spell.
It's clear the climate has changed here, just as it has all over the world. It bothers me when people get excited about warm days in January. Yes, it's nice to not have to wear a coat and hat and gloves and boots. It's nice to not have mounds of snow that stick around for months. It's nice to turn off the heat and open the windows. But at what cost?
I find myself appreciating winter weather more and more, fearing it will become ever scarcer unless one ventures to the far North.
The days when many are joyous over warm temperatures in winter are the days I worry about the animals that need to hibernate for months and no longer can. I worry about all the species of flora and fauna that are dying out or migrating or needing to evolve too quickly to keep up.
Maybe I'm a pessimist, seeing only the bad, but warm days in winter sadden and disturb me. I don't think technology can save us. We have waited too long to act. I worry what the world will be like in 10 years. 20. 50. Will it be recognizable?
And now that I've got everyone needing to pop some Prozac -or at least wishing I would- let's talk about the book.
After a slow start in which I was alternately bored and mesmerized by the beauty of the author's writing, I fell in love with this novel. It is quiet, the kind in which you really get to know the characters' inner lives and which make you think. The kind I like best.
It alternates between the perspective of several characters, beginning with Frida, terrified as a hurricane approaches her home in Florida, reliving another that killed her mother.
Amidst this furious storm, her daughter Wanda is born. Wanda is the main character and we watch her grow as the waters rise.
Her life is about change and loss, yet she finds beauty where she can. She is resourceful - her life depends on it. She is strong - it's the only way to survive.
As the Florida coast recedes, slowly (or quickly, depending on which perspective you're coming from) consumed by the ocean, Frida must adapt in order to survive.
When I read clim-fic novels, I can't help but wonder if, decades from now, someone will read it and say, "Wow, that writer was really off. Look where we are, what technology has done, how far we've come! Life is better than it ever was and getting better every day".
Or if they will read it and say, "How naive those people were, thinking it would only be that bad".
In spite of the destruction in this novel, the writing is exquisite. I was mesmerized. If you like slow, quiet novels, I recommend this one. It filled me with melancholy and yet, at the same time, hope that we and the myriad forms of life on Earth can find a way to adapt in an ever more quickly changing world.
"Humans have spoiled so much, but nature is resourceful. It dies and is reborn as something new."
Two days ago it snowed where I live. We got a couple inches and I delighted in its beauty, taking a walk in the woods, admiring how it lay on the branches and carpeted the ground. I dressed in layers, keeping out the bitter wind and 20°-ish temps.
Yesterday it was 45° F. (7° C.) and the ground was green again. This morning I woke to a fresh blanket of white and it's been snowing since, dumping at least a couple inches of snow so far.
I checked the Weather Channel to see how much we would get, only to be told it was 44° (nope, in the 20s) and raining. More and more they get it wrong, way wrong.
Unlike when I was a kid, the snow no longer stays for weeks or even months. It snows and melts, snows and melts, the temperatures rising way above freezing after each ever shorter cold spell.
It's clear the climate has changed here, just as it has all over the world. It bothers me when people get excited about warm days in January. Yes, it's nice to not have to wear a coat and hat and gloves and boots. It's nice to not have mounds of snow that stick around for months. It's nice to turn off the heat and open the windows. But at what cost?
I find myself appreciating winter weather more and more, fearing it will become ever scarcer unless one ventures to the far North.
The days when many are joyous over warm temperatures in winter are the days I worry about the animals that need to hibernate for months and no longer can. I worry about all the species of flora and fauna that are dying out or migrating or needing to evolve too quickly to keep up.
Maybe I'm a pessimist, seeing only the bad, but warm days in winter sadden and disturb me. I don't think technology can save us. We have waited too long to act. I worry what the world will be like in 10 years. 20. 50. Will it be recognizable?
And now that I've got everyone needing to pop some Prozac -or at least wishing I would- let's talk about the book.
After a slow start in which I was alternately bored and mesmerized by the beauty of the author's writing, I fell in love with this novel. It is quiet, the kind in which you really get to know the characters' inner lives and which make you think. The kind I like best.
It alternates between the perspective of several characters, beginning with Frida, terrified as a hurricane approaches her home in Florida, reliving another that killed her mother.
Amidst this furious storm, her daughter Wanda is born. Wanda is the main character and we watch her grow as the waters rise.
Her life is about change and loss, yet she finds beauty where she can. She is resourceful - her life depends on it. She is strong - it's the only way to survive.
As the Florida coast recedes, slowly (or quickly, depending on which perspective you're coming from) consumed by the ocean, Frida must adapt in order to survive.
When I read clim-fic novels, I can't help but wonder if, decades from now, someone will read it and say, "Wow, that writer was really off. Look where we are, what technology has done, how far we've come! Life is better than it ever was and getting better every day".
Or if they will read it and say, "How naive those people were, thinking it would only be that bad".
In spite of the destruction in this novel, the writing is exquisite. I was mesmerized. If you like slow, quiet novels, I recommend this one. It filled me with melancholy and yet, at the same time, hope that we and the myriad forms of life on Earth can find a way to adapt in an ever more quickly changing world.
"Humans have spoiled so much, but nature is resourceful. It dies and is reborn as something new."
December 31, 2022
Last book I will finish in 2022 -- and it was beautiful. The book. Not 2022. I loved THE LIGHT PIRATE for the same reasons I loved Emily St. John Mandel's STATION ELEVEN. It's a post-apocalyptic world (global climate change, not a pandemic), and yet an undercurrent of hope streams through the story. We watch Wanda -- named for the hurricane during which she was born -- endure losses that would finish off a lesser soul, and face the ever-changing world. The book is set in Rudder, Florida, and little by little (and then all at once) the peninsula (and social services and civilization), begin to sink beneath the rising tides. But Brooks-Dalton's narrative? It soars.
November 13, 2022
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Literary Fiction
The Light Pirate is advertised as a story for readers who enjoyed Station Eleven and Where the Crawdads Sing. While I still have not read Station Eleven, I absolutely loved Where the Crawdads Sing, and I understand the similarities between the two tales. The story has a dystopian setting in which devastating changes in the climate affect life in a big way. There is this family that resides in Florida and is being evacuated due to a catastrophic hurricane. The wife is pregnant, and her two boys go missing. This incident sets the tone of the story and what happens to this family. The mother gives birth prematurely to a little girl (Wanda). Wanda is the protagonist of the story, and she faces lots of challenges as she grows up in a place that was abandoned by its people.
This was a pleasant story. I loved how the author treated nature like a character in her book. The descriptive paragraphs of the place, the storm, and the entire setting were amazing. The first part was very strong, and I felt this could become a favorite book. Unfortunately, the second part was slow, and it affected my enjoyment. Although the bond between Wanda and Phyllis was interesting, I don’t think Wanda was a strong character. She was the protagonist of the story, yet I couldn’t relate to her or care much about her. Engaging with the main character is very important to being immersed in the story. I believe the author's beautiful writing saved the book for me and compensated for the main character's shortcomings.
Many thanks to the publisher, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book.
Genre: Literary Fiction
The Light Pirate is advertised as a story for readers who enjoyed Station Eleven and Where the Crawdads Sing. While I still have not read Station Eleven, I absolutely loved Where the Crawdads Sing, and I understand the similarities between the two tales. The story has a dystopian setting in which devastating changes in the climate affect life in a big way. There is this family that resides in Florida and is being evacuated due to a catastrophic hurricane. The wife is pregnant, and her two boys go missing. This incident sets the tone of the story and what happens to this family. The mother gives birth prematurely to a little girl (Wanda). Wanda is the protagonist of the story, and she faces lots of challenges as she grows up in a place that was abandoned by its people.
This was a pleasant story. I loved how the author treated nature like a character in her book. The descriptive paragraphs of the place, the storm, and the entire setting were amazing. The first part was very strong, and I felt this could become a favorite book. Unfortunately, the second part was slow, and it affected my enjoyment. Although the bond between Wanda and Phyllis was interesting, I don’t think Wanda was a strong character. She was the protagonist of the story, yet I couldn’t relate to her or care much about her. Engaging with the main character is very important to being immersed in the story. I believe the author's beautiful writing saved the book for me and compensated for the main character's shortcomings.
Many thanks to the publisher, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book.
November 24, 2023
Lily Brooks-Dalton does the literary equivalent of planks in this story, muscular prose taut in resistance to increasingly frantic externals: catastrophic weather, chaos, destruction. She strains against the encroaching menace, painstakingly tends to the intimacy of a moment while circumstance angrily bangs at the door. Trembling, she holds her pose, maintains poise, until all of a sudden she just… can’t anymore.
BAM!
Order crumbles. Horror strikes. Violence spanks a diminishing family trying to do right by each other, by their community.
And this keeps happening. Cyclical slow burns and sharp attacks… again and again… until the story is through.
There’s some beauty mixed in, a little warmth, a bit of magic, but it’s mostly struggle and blunted fear and survival and failure to survive. By novel’s end, I was exhausted, on something of a slippery emotional slope concerning the fragility of life…
and utterly bereft to be cast out of this world, exiled from its people I’d somehow grown to love.
In less capable hands, this could have been just another big, dumb blockbuster of an apocalypse. But Brooks-Dalton elevates the elements, teases subtleties into the light, practices restraint unto heightened glories.
Despite the success of her novel, I’m taking one star off for the dialogue. Really, there isn’t much talking here, but apart from the last few pages, whenever someone does speak, it feels wrong to me. Here’s one side of a dialogue scene between two young brothers: “Nobody’s home, dipshit. They always ‘vacuate the trailer parks first. Dad says ‘cuz they’re so light, see, don’t hold up if winds are bad” (13%).
I love the dipshit line, but the rest feels… off, somehow. The use of the word “see” and the slang… it just doesn’t feel right. My working theory is that the author tried to honor a regional dialect, but she didn’t internalize it sufficiently to make it sound real.
Small failing for an otherwise remarkable story. I’m excited to read Brooks-Dalton’s Good Morning, Midnight next, and I suspect I’ve found a new-to-me author whose career I’ll enjoy following.
Book/Song Pairing: Young Summer - If The World Falls To Pieces
Note: I updated my review to 5-stars. This book stays on my mind. Yes, the dialogue is wanting. But the story (and all non-dialogue writing) is uniquely beautiful.
BAM!
Order crumbles. Horror strikes. Violence spanks a diminishing family trying to do right by each other, by their community.
And this keeps happening. Cyclical slow burns and sharp attacks… again and again… until the story is through.
There’s some beauty mixed in, a little warmth, a bit of magic, but it’s mostly struggle and blunted fear and survival and failure to survive. By novel’s end, I was exhausted, on something of a slippery emotional slope concerning the fragility of life…
and utterly bereft to be cast out of this world, exiled from its people I’d somehow grown to love.
In less capable hands, this could have been just another big, dumb blockbuster of an apocalypse. But Brooks-Dalton elevates the elements, teases subtleties into the light, practices restraint unto heightened glories.
Despite the success of her novel, I’m taking one star off for the dialogue. Really, there isn’t much talking here, but apart from the last few pages, whenever someone does speak, it feels wrong to me. Here’s one side of a dialogue scene between two young brothers: “Nobody’s home, dipshit. They always ‘vacuate the trailer parks first. Dad says ‘cuz they’re so light, see, don’t hold up if winds are bad” (13%).
I love the dipshit line, but the rest feels… off, somehow. The use of the word “see” and the slang… it just doesn’t feel right. My working theory is that the author tried to honor a regional dialect, but she didn’t internalize it sufficiently to make it sound real.
Small failing for an otherwise remarkable story. I’m excited to read Brooks-Dalton’s Good Morning, Midnight next, and I suspect I’ve found a new-to-me author whose career I’ll enjoy following.
Book/Song Pairing: Young Summer - If The World Falls To Pieces
Note: I updated my review to 5-stars. This book stays on my mind. Yes, the dialogue is wanting. But the story (and all non-dialogue writing) is uniquely beautiful.
December 18, 2022
Reading this novel was totally immersive - I felt the heat and water of Florida seeping through the pages. Wanda is a remarkable character and the writing is so dazzling and powerful that I needed to take breaks just to get my bearings. Is this a dystopian novel? It doesn't feel at all imaginary to me. It feels so true, it feels like our future.
January 14, 2023
Lily Brooks-Dalton takes a prescient look into what our future may become if or when (however you choose to see it) climate change becomes an increasingly present way of life. Wanda Lowe is born in the midst of a raging hurricane that hits dead center of the Florida community where her parents and half siblings live. Her father, Kirby Lowe, an electrical lineman tries to be prepared for any contingency. He sandbags the house and keeps his sons busy helping him cover all the windows, all while persuading his nervous and heavily pregnant wife that the hurricane is not predicted to hit them full on. Frida, his wife, tries to believe him but previous experience has taught her that hurricanes are unpredictable. Brooks-Dalton gives a realistic portrayal of a weather event of immense proportions. I was flipping pages anxiously, while thinking of all the people for whom these weather events are far from fiction. Ian Fry, a UN human rights and climate change expert says that “of 59.1 million people internally displaced in 2021 across the world, most were displaced by climate related-disasters.” For these people, it is their lives and livelihood at stake.
It’s impossible for me to read a book like this and not think of what’s at stake for us all. In this story, Brooks-Dalton gives a bleak picture of Florida’s future with sea level rise and the falling apart of infrastructure and dams. She also shows that with millions of people pouring out of these low lying places reclaimed by the ocean, an influx of climate refugees will put a strain on inland cities and towns.
Change will become a constant and only those who can adapt will survive. This has already happened in many places like Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was heartening to read an article about floating farms in Bangladesh where people are stacking layers of water hyacinths and bamboo together, creating rafts on the rising waters where they plant their seeds. Will a fiction book with a strong focus on a possible future make a difference? Reality is making that future more likely with every passing day.
In ‘The Light Pirate’ Wanda becomes a strong woman, taught by a survivalist neighbor, Phyllis. The ingenuity of Phyllis and Wanda in this novel offers hope. It will take creativity, skill, and a nimbus of luck to adapt and survive in uncertain times. Wanda has something about her that is different, a unique gift. Was her birth in a raging hurricane the precursor to this mystical dispensation?
Lily Brooks-Dalton drives her narrative forward with skillful prose. She’s never sermonizing or just trying to get a point across. She embodies the lives of her characters and shows the what ifs. I enjoyed the quiet prose of her first novel, Good Morning, Midnight. Some thought that one was too quiet, but I loved its simplicity and stark symbolism. This one is more flashy, more action packed, but the characters are equally as intriguing, the prospects assuredly as daunting.
Quotes I enjoyed:
“Well, technically I’m retired from teaching, but I still like to work for myself on occasion. Curiosity never retires.”
“Because everything is changing. And the way it’s changing…well, I’m curious about it. We should all be curious about it, because the way we live has to change, too. Some creatures can’t live in this water anymore. Others can. Someday, new ones might evolve.”
“The saltiness of the air slips in through the vents, even though the windows are closed. The tide creeps forward. Soon it will lap at his tires. Just because there is glass between him and the Edge doesn’t mean it won’t swallow him whole. He realizes now that this idea of being separate isn’t real.”
“A scientist knows nothing is ever certain.”
“Humanity was an ecological disaster, as far as Phyllis was concerned. A misstep made by an otherwise magnificently intelligent system of life and death. Evolution could do so much better. Someday, it would.”
It’s impossible for me to read a book like this and not think of what’s at stake for us all. In this story, Brooks-Dalton gives a bleak picture of Florida’s future with sea level rise and the falling apart of infrastructure and dams. She also shows that with millions of people pouring out of these low lying places reclaimed by the ocean, an influx of climate refugees will put a strain on inland cities and towns.
Change will become a constant and only those who can adapt will survive. This has already happened in many places like Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was heartening to read an article about floating farms in Bangladesh where people are stacking layers of water hyacinths and bamboo together, creating rafts on the rising waters where they plant their seeds. Will a fiction book with a strong focus on a possible future make a difference? Reality is making that future more likely with every passing day.
In ‘The Light Pirate’ Wanda becomes a strong woman, taught by a survivalist neighbor, Phyllis. The ingenuity of Phyllis and Wanda in this novel offers hope. It will take creativity, skill, and a nimbus of luck to adapt and survive in uncertain times. Wanda has something about her that is different, a unique gift. Was her birth in a raging hurricane the precursor to this mystical dispensation?
Lily Brooks-Dalton drives her narrative forward with skillful prose. She’s never sermonizing or just trying to get a point across. She embodies the lives of her characters and shows the what ifs. I enjoyed the quiet prose of her first novel, Good Morning, Midnight. Some thought that one was too quiet, but I loved its simplicity and stark symbolism. This one is more flashy, more action packed, but the characters are equally as intriguing, the prospects assuredly as daunting.
Quotes I enjoyed:
“Well, technically I’m retired from teaching, but I still like to work for myself on occasion. Curiosity never retires.”
“Because everything is changing. And the way it’s changing…well, I’m curious about it. We should all be curious about it, because the way we live has to change, too. Some creatures can’t live in this water anymore. Others can. Someday, new ones might evolve.”
“The saltiness of the air slips in through the vents, even though the windows are closed. The tide creeps forward. Soon it will lap at his tires. Just because there is glass between him and the Edge doesn’t mean it won’t swallow him whole. He realizes now that this idea of being separate isn’t real.”
“A scientist knows nothing is ever certain.”
“Humanity was an ecological disaster, as far as Phyllis was concerned. A misstep made by an otherwise magnificently intelligent system of life and death. Evolution could do so much better. Someday, it would.”
September 5, 2022
I would recommend this book if you were in a really good mood but would rather been in a sad and depressed mood.
December 12, 2022
I’ve must say, I wanted to love this book. I’m an environmentalist with a taste for apocalyptic literary fiction, but this did not hit the mark.
The writer is talented. There were serious, impactful, debilitatingly painful moments where I had to set the book down and take a moment. The imagery was superb, and Brooks-Dunn is excellent at setting the scene for all the violence that happens throughout. Ultimately though, I think she didn’t capitalize on all of the opportunities she gave herself.
Thematically, this novel was artistic. The Before and After times were beautifully divided by the sections, creating a thorough arc and movement for the novel, orienting the reader truly to give a sense of place and time which is sometimes lost in the post-apocalyptic/ dystopian writing genre. The grief was well-portrayed, and the characters were given complexities in the ‘Water’ section that I thought gave them justice.
However, I gave this book a 2/5 because there was truly only one section of this 321 page novel that was impactful and connected with me.
The choppy pacing of the ‘Power’ section as Hurricane Wanda is wreaking havoc discouraged me from investing right off the bat. Stylistically, I think this was a self-imposed limitation that started the novel out on shaky ground. Frida, the missing mother figure that leaves a gaping hole in the nuclear family unit for the following section, was sorely reduced to her most erratic, hormonal self, and was given almost no redeeming qualities other than that she ended up being right that they should have evacuated before the hurricane hit.
The ‘Water’ section quickly got me back in the game. The character arcs, their struggles, their compassion and empathy for one another, Phyllis as a substitute mother figure and the bond she formed with Wanda, all added up for a really meaty and thoughtful section. Kirby loosely acknowledges that in the absence of someone’s presence, we often mistake who they are for their ghost and start conflating the reality of who they were with a fantasy version of who you hoped they’d be, which I thought was quite insightful. Lucas struggles with loyalty to the place and the family; this tension of responsibility is immediately discarded in the following section.
The ‘Light’ section had so much potential that was never capitalized on. This novel would have been elevated if Wanda had any reflection on the loss of her father, the loss of her brother, or the mother’s missing element, but instead we relive all the tragedy of Wanda’s life through Phyllis’ detached perspective, alienating the reader from Wanda’s emotional hardships that could have really been the driving force to seek out Bird Dog. Ultimately, this detachment from any emotional reflection and lack of substantial revelation caused this whole section to fall flat.
‘Light’ also wrapped up the story with a hasty romantic entanglement with Bird Dog, a character that was given no characteristics whatsoever. Flat as a cardboard cutout. I was not convinced that their relationship added anything substantive to the story, since there is zero contextualization for any romantic relationship throughout the entire book. It felt extremely rushed and forced (their kiss was at page 310 of 321) and I truly cannot think of a single reason why it would have been included other than that readers tend to like the story better when the story wraps with a happy couple floating off into the sunset.
The ‘Time’ section should have been mostly chopped and would have been equally as effective if it had been two pages. I did like how the gift of channeling light through water was passed to another character; however, this section suffered severely from a lack of perspective from the author. It was a caricature of an old woman reflecting on her life.
All in all, there were some good aspects, but I wouldn’t recommend it to a friend.
The writer is talented. There were serious, impactful, debilitatingly painful moments where I had to set the book down and take a moment. The imagery was superb, and Brooks-Dunn is excellent at setting the scene for all the violence that happens throughout. Ultimately though, I think she didn’t capitalize on all of the opportunities she gave herself.
Thematically, this novel was artistic. The Before and After times were beautifully divided by the sections, creating a thorough arc and movement for the novel, orienting the reader truly to give a sense of place and time which is sometimes lost in the post-apocalyptic/ dystopian writing genre. The grief was well-portrayed, and the characters were given complexities in the ‘Water’ section that I thought gave them justice.
However, I gave this book a 2/5 because there was truly only one section of this 321 page novel that was impactful and connected with me.
The choppy pacing of the ‘Power’ section as Hurricane Wanda is wreaking havoc discouraged me from investing right off the bat. Stylistically, I think this was a self-imposed limitation that started the novel out on shaky ground. Frida, the missing mother figure that leaves a gaping hole in the nuclear family unit for the following section, was sorely reduced to her most erratic, hormonal self, and was given almost no redeeming qualities other than that she ended up being right that they should have evacuated before the hurricane hit.
The ‘Water’ section quickly got me back in the game. The character arcs, their struggles, their compassion and empathy for one another, Phyllis as a substitute mother figure and the bond she formed with Wanda, all added up for a really meaty and thoughtful section. Kirby loosely acknowledges that in the absence of someone’s presence, we often mistake who they are for their ghost and start conflating the reality of who they were with a fantasy version of who you hoped they’d be, which I thought was quite insightful. Lucas struggles with loyalty to the place and the family; this tension of responsibility is immediately discarded in the following section.
The ‘Light’ section had so much potential that was never capitalized on. This novel would have been elevated if Wanda had any reflection on the loss of her father, the loss of her brother, or the mother’s missing element, but instead we relive all the tragedy of Wanda’s life through Phyllis’ detached perspective, alienating the reader from Wanda’s emotional hardships that could have really been the driving force to seek out Bird Dog. Ultimately, this detachment from any emotional reflection and lack of substantial revelation caused this whole section to fall flat.
‘Light’ also wrapped up the story with a hasty romantic entanglement with Bird Dog, a character that was given no characteristics whatsoever. Flat as a cardboard cutout. I was not convinced that their relationship added anything substantive to the story, since there is zero contextualization for any romantic relationship throughout the entire book. It felt extremely rushed and forced (their kiss was at page 310 of 321) and I truly cannot think of a single reason why it would have been included other than that readers tend to like the story better when the story wraps with a happy couple floating off into the sunset.
The ‘Time’ section should have been mostly chopped and would have been equally as effective if it had been two pages. I did like how the gift of channeling light through water was passed to another character; however, this section suffered severely from a lack of perspective from the author. It was a caricature of an old woman reflecting on her life.
All in all, there were some good aspects, but I wouldn’t recommend it to a friend.
December 6, 2022
". . . she knew right away that you were a powerful girl and she wanted you to have a powerful name."
Born during, and named after the hurricane that killed her mother and her stepbrother, Wanda, along with her father and remaining stepbrother, struggle along in a dying town where the population, tired of facing storm after storm, trickles away in search of a less volatile place to live.
She has been watching the town empty, the water rise, the storms pummel, as far back as she can remember. This is the rhythm she was born to.
The years fly by, and the climate situation worsens. Much of Florida is underwater, and has been written off by the government. Wanda and a few others learn how to navigate the ever-changing environment with its constant challenges and dangers.
This was quite a mesmerizing read that should appeal to readers of many age groups. I've already recommended the book to our library's acquisitions director.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for sharing this title.
Born during, and named after the hurricane that killed her mother and her stepbrother, Wanda, along with her father and remaining stepbrother, struggle along in a dying town where the population, tired of facing storm after storm, trickles away in search of a less volatile place to live.
She has been watching the town empty, the water rise, the storms pummel, as far back as she can remember. This is the rhythm she was born to.
The years fly by, and the climate situation worsens. Much of Florida is underwater, and has been written off by the government. Wanda and a few others learn how to navigate the ever-changing environment with its constant challenges and dangers.
This was quite a mesmerizing read that should appeal to readers of many age groups. I've already recommended the book to our library's acquisitions director.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for sharing this title.
August 6, 2023
***5 Brilliant Stars!*** I’ve only read a couple dystopian novels before, so color me surprised when this creative, and often heartrending story is my favorite so far this year! Less imaginary than a cautionary tale revealing our alarming future after climate change.
The story opens with a hurricane and the birth of Wanda, named after the hurricane. It’s told in four parts…power, water, light and time, with each one centered on a major life passage for Wanda as she bends to the changing environment.
I loved the way the author focused on Wanda and her neighbor, Phyllis, a survivalist. Both women have a deep connection to the swamps and woods of Florida and plan to stay no matter what as others move out when the cities are evacuated. Their struggle to adapt to the devastating storms and rising sea levels makes for an intense and emotionally powerful story.
I was so impressed with this visionary author, and I absolutely loved her mesmerizing novel! Highly recommended.
The story opens with a hurricane and the birth of Wanda, named after the hurricane. It’s told in four parts…power, water, light and time, with each one centered on a major life passage for Wanda as she bends to the changing environment.
I loved the way the author focused on Wanda and her neighbor, Phyllis, a survivalist. Both women have a deep connection to the swamps and woods of Florida and plan to stay no matter what as others move out when the cities are evacuated. Their struggle to adapt to the devastating storms and rising sea levels makes for an intense and emotionally powerful story.
I was so impressed with this visionary author, and I absolutely loved her mesmerizing novel! Highly recommended.
May 23, 2023
I honestly have zero idea what this book is about. I don’t think the author knew what kind of book they wanted it to be. Is It a coming of age story? Is it about an apocalyptic dystopia? It is a romance novel? Is it a cautionary tale about the human involvement regarding the erosion of our plants climate and the devastating effects it would have on us as a species? I have no idea. It’s sad. The entire book is sad. And why the hell does the little girl glow in water?? I have no idea, man.
May 21, 2023
Wow! Just Wow! 5 big stars of Wow!
Dystopian? Not in my opinion, because what is described in this extraordinary novel is already happening. Like many of you, I always thought climate change was years off, after my time on earth is finished, but it's happening right now, and this book tells us why, and how, how easy for us to pretend that tomorrow will be just like yesterday, with air conditioning and electricity and jobs and food and stores........
"They had all hung their hats on the question of proximity. Yes, it will be bad, they said to one another, but we have years. We have time. Somehow we'll solve this along the way."
Wanda is a child born during the hurricane she's named after. Her father is a lineman in Florida who works to keeps the power on with an ever worsening and disintegrating power grid. We get no dates here, but not too many years in our future. The storms are constant, the heat unbearable, the water is rising and reclaiming the land. Their neighbor Phyllis is a scientist and college professor who sees what is coming and prepares as a survivalist.
That bare bones plot description doesn't even begin to prepare you for the twists and turns you're getting yourself into when you pick this one up. Or the love you will feel for these characters. Or the fear in the pit of your stomach as you recognize scenes on the evening news right now.
I was turning pages like a maniac in the first section entitled Power. It slowed down a bit in the second and third parts, Water and Light, to the point that I could at least go to the bathroom and grab a bite to eat. I was too worried about what was coming next. The last section, Time, gives us a bit of redemption: precious little, in fact, but it may be all we're left with in the end.
Dystopian? Not in my opinion, because what is described in this extraordinary novel is already happening. Like many of you, I always thought climate change was years off, after my time on earth is finished, but it's happening right now, and this book tells us why, and how, how easy for us to pretend that tomorrow will be just like yesterday, with air conditioning and electricity and jobs and food and stores........
"They had all hung their hats on the question of proximity. Yes, it will be bad, they said to one another, but we have years. We have time. Somehow we'll solve this along the way."
Wanda is a child born during the hurricane she's named after. Her father is a lineman in Florida who works to keeps the power on with an ever worsening and disintegrating power grid. We get no dates here, but not too many years in our future. The storms are constant, the heat unbearable, the water is rising and reclaiming the land. Their neighbor Phyllis is a scientist and college professor who sees what is coming and prepares as a survivalist.
That bare bones plot description doesn't even begin to prepare you for the twists and turns you're getting yourself into when you pick this one up. Or the love you will feel for these characters. Or the fear in the pit of your stomach as you recognize scenes on the evening news right now.
I was turning pages like a maniac in the first section entitled Power. It slowed down a bit in the second and third parts, Water and Light, to the point that I could at least go to the bathroom and grab a bite to eat. I was too worried about what was coming next. The last section, Time, gives us a bit of redemption: precious little, in fact, but it may be all we're left with in the end.
January 4, 2023
4.5
Imaginative and beautifully crafted novel with memorable characters and a climate-change message that really hits home. The only hiccup for me was the touch of magical realism - it wasn’t necessary and didn’t add much to the story. For me, it was more of a silly distraction than anything else.
At the beginning, I didn’t want this book to end but the journey was harrowing and haunting and I was ready to be done when it ended.
I may come back and give this a 5 - I need to see how this settles with me over time. Definitely a winner, though! If you haven’t read Brooks-Dalton’s previous book “Good Morning, Midnight,” that’s another must-read.
Imaginative and beautifully crafted novel with memorable characters and a climate-change message that really hits home. The only hiccup for me was the touch of magical realism - it wasn’t necessary and didn’t add much to the story. For me, it was more of a silly distraction than anything else.
At the beginning, I didn’t want this book to end but the journey was harrowing and haunting and I was ready to be done when it ended.
I may come back and give this a 5 - I need to see how this settles with me over time. Definitely a winner, though! If you haven’t read Brooks-Dalton’s previous book “Good Morning, Midnight,” that’s another must-read.
September 23, 2022
Yes! I will read anything Lily Brooks-Dalton writes. I loved this every bit as much – more, I think – than Good Morning, Midnight. Another new favorite author alert!
It is no spoiler to say that the story starts with a heart-thumping hurricane that gets the pages turning (book-jacket copy tells you as much). But equally impressive is how emotionally evocative the story is, placing the reader inside the heads and hearts of ALL the characters.
And, the writing… it is gorgeous! Some samples:
The big coconut palm hanging over the yard sways. Its roots are sunk deep beneath the wilderness lurking at the edge of the property, but its trunk swings out over the lawn as if the wild is reaching for the house with those big fingerlike fronds.
… when he follows Lucas into the kitchen and catches the look on her face, puckered and tearful, he’s instantly ashamed of himself. He only meant to make his son feel safe. But then his guilt swells too big and it changes into something bitter, something charred.
Wes is scraggly, tall and thin like an adolescent pine tree, with a mouth that never stops flapping.
I’ve grown to love cli-fi/eco-fiction set in the not too distant future, and this one is now among my favorites. It combines light touches of science (presented through the lens of awe) via the character of Phyllis, a once-university-professor/biologist with concern for a changing planet. If anyone read The Overstory and fell in love with Patricia Westerford, you will adore Phyllis as well.
Power, water, light and time are given a voice through short chapters in their perspectives – such a brilliant way to include science and bring the natural elements to life in a book about climate change!
I appreciated this novel, also, because of the deep connections to a sense of place – all the characters’ love of Florida and their reticence to ever let go of it; it mirrors my feelings about an increasingly dry and threatened desert (my home). In many ways, this book felt all-too near.
As expected by the title, themes of light are sprinkled throughout with grace – power companies “keeping the lights on,” bioluminescence in the seas, the desire to fix and bring light to a struggling/changing Earth.
As Phyllis says, “Humans have spoiled so much, but nature is resourceful. It dies and is reborn as something new. Her work now is to watch this occur.”
I continue to find hope in novels like this that lean on science to explain that, yes … our current Earth as we know it is going to change, but something else will very likely come in its place. Life, in some form, will go on.
Many thanks to Hachette – Grand Central Publishing, through NetGalley, for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book! And it was so much FUN doing a buddy read with Melissa (Bantering Books)!
It is no spoiler to say that the story starts with a heart-thumping hurricane that gets the pages turning (book-jacket copy tells you as much). But equally impressive is how emotionally evocative the story is, placing the reader inside the heads and hearts of ALL the characters.
And, the writing… it is gorgeous! Some samples:
The big coconut palm hanging over the yard sways. Its roots are sunk deep beneath the wilderness lurking at the edge of the property, but its trunk swings out over the lawn as if the wild is reaching for the house with those big fingerlike fronds.
… when he follows Lucas into the kitchen and catches the look on her face, puckered and tearful, he’s instantly ashamed of himself. He only meant to make his son feel safe. But then his guilt swells too big and it changes into something bitter, something charred.
Wes is scraggly, tall and thin like an adolescent pine tree, with a mouth that never stops flapping.
I’ve grown to love cli-fi/eco-fiction set in the not too distant future, and this one is now among my favorites. It combines light touches of science (presented through the lens of awe) via the character of Phyllis, a once-university-professor/biologist with concern for a changing planet. If anyone read The Overstory and fell in love with Patricia Westerford, you will adore Phyllis as well.
Power, water, light and time are given a voice through short chapters in their perspectives – such a brilliant way to include science and bring the natural elements to life in a book about climate change!
I appreciated this novel, also, because of the deep connections to a sense of place – all the characters’ love of Florida and their reticence to ever let go of it; it mirrors my feelings about an increasingly dry and threatened desert (my home). In many ways, this book felt all-too near.
As expected by the title, themes of light are sprinkled throughout with grace – power companies “keeping the lights on,” bioluminescence in the seas, the desire to fix and bring light to a struggling/changing Earth.
As Phyllis says, “Humans have spoiled so much, but nature is resourceful. It dies and is reborn as something new. Her work now is to watch this occur.”
I continue to find hope in novels like this that lean on science to explain that, yes … our current Earth as we know it is going to change, but something else will very likely come in its place. Life, in some form, will go on.
Many thanks to Hachette – Grand Central Publishing, through NetGalley, for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book! And it was so much FUN doing a buddy read with Melissa (Bantering Books)!
January 14, 2023
A few years ago I read Jeff Goodell's harrowing The Water Will Come in which he writes, "Sea-level rise is one of the central facts of our time, as real as gravity. It will reshape our world in ways most of us can only dimly imagine."
Lily Brooks-Dalton read this book, too—she references it in her author's notes. And clearly she's not "most of us", for The Light Pirate is her vividly imagined tale of the not-too distant future where the waters have risen in Florida and do not recede.
The story opens with a devastating hurricane and the birth of a child. Ten years later that child, Wanda, named after the hurricane that accompanied her arrival, lives with her father and older brother. The men, both lineman for the town's utility district, toil to keep the power on in an area constantly under siege by ferocious storms. The work keeps them mostly numb to the terrible tragedies that marked the miracle of little Wanda's birth ten years before.
The town, Rudder, is slowly emptying out as the ocean creeps steadily in. The government is evacuating the area and Wanda's little family struggles with the decision to stay or go. One final disaster forces the decision. Wanda stays, under the care and protection of a neighbor, Phyllis, who has been preparing for the worst for years. She welcomes Wanda into her self-sufficient homestead and trains her to fend for herself.
As in her haunting and beautiful debut, Good Morning, Midnight, Brooks-Dalton infuses the narrative with heavy tension that forebodes disaster, like the sudden oppressive stillness and otherworldly glow that descends moments before a storm unleashes. She also excels at creating an intense loneliness in her characters and her settings that is somehow both peaceful and keening; the question, what would I do? repeats in a quiet voice as you read.
There is also a supernatural element that may or may not work for you, depending on your willingness to suspend disbelief. I loved it. The mystery allowed the story to move past a hopeless near-future into what may come next, for there will be a next. It may not include homes with four walls, roads, skyscrapers or farms. It may not have television or theme parks, cows or cars, but the world will adapt. The question is, will we?
As relentlessly bleak as the book may seem, it is not without hope and it is steeped in love. Highly recommended.
Lily Brooks-Dalton read this book, too—she references it in her author's notes. And clearly she's not "most of us", for The Light Pirate is her vividly imagined tale of the not-too distant future where the waters have risen in Florida and do not recede.
The story opens with a devastating hurricane and the birth of a child. Ten years later that child, Wanda, named after the hurricane that accompanied her arrival, lives with her father and older brother. The men, both lineman for the town's utility district, toil to keep the power on in an area constantly under siege by ferocious storms. The work keeps them mostly numb to the terrible tragedies that marked the miracle of little Wanda's birth ten years before.
The town, Rudder, is slowly emptying out as the ocean creeps steadily in. The government is evacuating the area and Wanda's little family struggles with the decision to stay or go. One final disaster forces the decision. Wanda stays, under the care and protection of a neighbor, Phyllis, who has been preparing for the worst for years. She welcomes Wanda into her self-sufficient homestead and trains her to fend for herself.
As in her haunting and beautiful debut, Good Morning, Midnight, Brooks-Dalton infuses the narrative with heavy tension that forebodes disaster, like the sudden oppressive stillness and otherworldly glow that descends moments before a storm unleashes. She also excels at creating an intense loneliness in her characters and her settings that is somehow both peaceful and keening; the question, what would I do? repeats in a quiet voice as you read.
There is also a supernatural element that may or may not work for you, depending on your willingness to suspend disbelief. I loved it. The mystery allowed the story to move past a hopeless near-future into what may come next, for there will be a next. It may not include homes with four walls, roads, skyscrapers or farms. It may not have television or theme parks, cows or cars, but the world will adapt. The question is, will we?
As relentlessly bleak as the book may seem, it is not without hope and it is steeped in love. Highly recommended.
April 5, 2023
This story is a thought on, or caution of a possible future. In our world today, how can we not think about it? But, I like how Brookes-Dalton creates a core of aspiration at the center of it. In the main character Wanda, I found an individual desire to stay or connect with a place even when what was occurring outside of her – nature and other people - could not be controlled. And that is often the way of life, or at least what we hope for it. I remember reading the book Good Morning, Midnight, and seeing in it this far off, almost possible world (still our own) and very distant future. Not only was a portion of the story spoken from a ship moving far out in space, but the closer portion of it was set near our North Pole. Seemingly unattainable places with an unknown time. But even if the setting in this one was closer and a plot within reason for the most part, I consistently found that determination of Wanda's to be more of a focal point, or the one I sought, probably because it is uplifting and possibly the author's purpose. I'm not really comparing the two books. It's just an observation I thought about, and both books are good reads, both speaking about this place we live in from two vantage points.
July 29, 2022
The Light Pirate takes place in Rudder, Florida where Hurricane Wanda makes landfall. I really wanted to like this book and it pulled me in at the beginning but it dragged so much that I had to thrown in the towel at 44%. I’m in the minority with this rating and I’m sure it’s just me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published December 2022.
June 29, 2022
“Florida returning to herself. Swamps that had been dredged and drained and developed reappeared, bubbling back up to the surface in parking lots and on highways and in gated neighborhoods. Sinkholes opened up and swallowed entire blocks whole. Houses and roads and crops disappeared into the edges of the ever-encroaching wild.” Nature is reclaiming what is hers, driven by forces fueled by climate change and the hubris of humans.The Light Pirate, by Lily Brooks-Dalton paints an unsettling apocalyptic picture brushed with the strokes of magical realism that serves as both a cautionary tale and a deep dive into the power and majesty of this place we call home.
Told in four parts–Power, Water, Light and Time–in rotating points of view, this story winds it’s way through the lifetime of Wanda, the main character named after the devastating hurricane that marked her arrival. In Power, we anticipate the arrival of this Category 4 storm, witness her windy wrath, and are left on the ground in her wake. In Water, we see Wanda as a child who is different and watch her try to grapple with her otherness and navigate a world that is increasingly hostile to humans.
In Light, Wanda is a now a woman living with her older neighbor Phyllis, a biology professor and survivalist who has also chosen to stay. Canoes and rafts are the practical methods of transportation. The work of survival must be done at night as days are spent sheltering from the deathly heat. In the span of a life, we see a world transform, and while this seems extreme, it invites us to think about possibility. We see the overwhelming thoughts that accompany a life turned completely unfamiliar, where day is night, friends are foes and expectations of living a “normal” life are a distant memory. Brooks-Dalton conveys this beautifully, as Wanda thinks back to her childhood, “Thinking back that far requires her to exhume an entire life in which she had a brother and a father, a friend and a pet, a bicycle with a basket, an abundance of solid ground to walk on, and a verdant, sunlit wilderness to explore and enjoy. The old conviction that these things she had would go on being hers, that she might grow up to accumulate even more–the ordinary pillars of lives children were so carelessly promised back then: jobs, houses, loves, families.”
And in Time, Wanda’s will to stay an isolated and independent survivalist finally breaks as she accepts and embraces the presence of Bird Dog, an unexpected presence from her past.
Brooks-Dalton is an obviously gifted writer. She calls a world into being, one which we dread the possibility of, and invites is to look into its brutal, untamed, and at times achingly beautiful reality. My only critique is that I felt there were a few loose ends, but I can also see how this choice complements the winds that blow through the story. I recommend this novel to anyone who is brave enough to peek into what our future may hold. You won’t be able to look away.
Publishing date for The Light Pirate is December 6, 2022. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a DRC in exchange for my honest review.
Told in four parts–Power, Water, Light and Time–in rotating points of view, this story winds it’s way through the lifetime of Wanda, the main character named after the devastating hurricane that marked her arrival. In Power, we anticipate the arrival of this Category 4 storm, witness her windy wrath, and are left on the ground in her wake. In Water, we see Wanda as a child who is different and watch her try to grapple with her otherness and navigate a world that is increasingly hostile to humans.
In Light, Wanda is a now a woman living with her older neighbor Phyllis, a biology professor and survivalist who has also chosen to stay. Canoes and rafts are the practical methods of transportation. The work of survival must be done at night as days are spent sheltering from the deathly heat. In the span of a life, we see a world transform, and while this seems extreme, it invites us to think about possibility. We see the overwhelming thoughts that accompany a life turned completely unfamiliar, where day is night, friends are foes and expectations of living a “normal” life are a distant memory. Brooks-Dalton conveys this beautifully, as Wanda thinks back to her childhood, “Thinking back that far requires her to exhume an entire life in which she had a brother and a father, a friend and a pet, a bicycle with a basket, an abundance of solid ground to walk on, and a verdant, sunlit wilderness to explore and enjoy. The old conviction that these things she had would go on being hers, that she might grow up to accumulate even more–the ordinary pillars of lives children were so carelessly promised back then: jobs, houses, loves, families.”
And in Time, Wanda’s will to stay an isolated and independent survivalist finally breaks as she accepts and embraces the presence of Bird Dog, an unexpected presence from her past.
Brooks-Dalton is an obviously gifted writer. She calls a world into being, one which we dread the possibility of, and invites is to look into its brutal, untamed, and at times achingly beautiful reality. My only critique is that I felt there were a few loose ends, but I can also see how this choice complements the winds that blow through the story. I recommend this novel to anyone who is brave enough to peek into what our future may hold. You won’t be able to look away.
Publishing date for The Light Pirate is December 6, 2022. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a DRC in exchange for my honest review.
February 18, 2024
The Light Pirate is a raw, emotional read with the feeling of dread growing with each page, spiraling, circling towards the devastation the reader knows is on the horizon.
What a beautifully written cautionary tale. Gripping at times. Heartbreaking at others. The Light Pirate is a family drama set at a time when climate change reclaims Florida.
The Light Pirate has strong, memorable characters. The author masterfully captures the reality and complexity of becoming a blended family, losing a parent, and the relationships between brothers. Frida started out as my favorite character, but once I met Phyllis, she quickly became my favorite.
The Light Pirate is so much more than a “man vs nature” book. There is just as much, if not more, internal conflict than external. Wanda is an incredible character. How she adapts and grows and endures has made put her in my list of all time favorite characters.
I loved that Nature was just as much a character as the people. Observing the Natural World through the eyes of Phyllis and Wanda was compelling. Just when I thought I had it all figured out we meet Bird Dog.
There is SO much I love about this author and book. How so she creates characters the reader connects with and how she brings things full circle for those characters in unexpected ways. What an amazingly talented author.
What a beautifully written cautionary tale. Gripping at times. Heartbreaking at others. The Light Pirate is a family drama set at a time when climate change reclaims Florida.
The Light Pirate has strong, memorable characters. The author masterfully captures the reality and complexity of becoming a blended family, losing a parent, and the relationships between brothers. Frida started out as my favorite character, but once I met Phyllis, she quickly became my favorite.
The Light Pirate is so much more than a “man vs nature” book. There is just as much, if not more, internal conflict than external. Wanda is an incredible character. How she adapts and grows and endures has made put her in my list of all time favorite characters.
I loved that Nature was just as much a character as the people. Observing the Natural World through the eyes of Phyllis and Wanda was compelling. Just when I thought I had it all figured out we meet Bird Dog.
There is SO much I love about this author and book. How so she creates characters the reader connects with and how she brings things full circle for those characters in unexpected ways. What an amazingly talented author.
January 7, 2024
"Being broken is part of being whole."
This might be one of the most powerful books I ever read. I loved every second of it. I've never been a very big fan of reading about things that give me anxiety, but from the very start of this book... it wasn't mean to provoke fear. I believe that it was meant to comfort it.
I've been aware of my anxiety and its triggers for many years now, and with time, you realize when you can and cannot handle something. I think I've put this book off for so long because I was always moving, and I needed to be patient with myself for this read. I needed to be silent, and I needed to be aware.
That was the greatest gift I could've given myself for this read.
Anxiety is all about knowing the worst that can happen, and trying to avoid all the small things to make that worst thing less likely. This book followed that thought process completely. A storm is coming in? Okay, let's do what we know we can to make the impact less detrimental. Those comforts of boarding up a house and staying inside can only create so much comfort in devastation, but I believe that doing the small things allows those big thins to pass.
There was heart break, but there was always a comfort in knowing that person did all they can to avoid it before it happened. There was survival, but always a next step even when I couldn't find one. I lived an entire lifetime in this book, quite literally, and I found each moment of it to be a lesson and a reality all in one go.
Sometimes there is someone who wants to save the world rather than escape it. Sometimes there is magic in science, and sometimes there is only change. Survival and risk belong together, and being broken is only the first step to becoming whole. Life costs more than it gives... but life is worth the cost.
We are never truly alone. Even when the worst happens, we can find other people to take us is. Fear, and anxiety, and feeling lost and alone are always temporary. Love may feel that way, but to feel alone, you will have had to know what it feels like to be loved as well.
I loved this book. I know I'm going to think about it for a long time. Maybe forever.
This might be one of the most powerful books I ever read. I loved every second of it. I've never been a very big fan of reading about things that give me anxiety, but from the very start of this book... it wasn't mean to provoke fear. I believe that it was meant to comfort it.
I've been aware of my anxiety and its triggers for many years now, and with time, you realize when you can and cannot handle something. I think I've put this book off for so long because I was always moving, and I needed to be patient with myself for this read. I needed to be silent, and I needed to be aware.
That was the greatest gift I could've given myself for this read.
Anxiety is all about knowing the worst that can happen, and trying to avoid all the small things to make that worst thing less likely. This book followed that thought process completely. A storm is coming in? Okay, let's do what we know we can to make the impact less detrimental. Those comforts of boarding up a house and staying inside can only create so much comfort in devastation, but I believe that doing the small things allows those big thins to pass.
There was heart break, but there was always a comfort in knowing that person did all they can to avoid it before it happened. There was survival, but always a next step even when I couldn't find one. I lived an entire lifetime in this book, quite literally, and I found each moment of it to be a lesson and a reality all in one go.
Sometimes there is someone who wants to save the world rather than escape it. Sometimes there is magic in science, and sometimes there is only change. Survival and risk belong together, and being broken is only the first step to becoming whole. Life costs more than it gives... but life is worth the cost.
We are never truly alone. Even when the worst happens, we can find other people to take us is. Fear, and anxiety, and feeling lost and alone are always temporary. Love may feel that way, but to feel alone, you will have had to know what it feels like to be loved as well.
I loved this book. I know I'm going to think about it for a long time. Maybe forever.
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