There was so much potential. So much. I can’t believe this was a finalist for two different major awards - it seems unfinished, with so much left to be filled in. ( )

Explored righteous anger in a way that I hadn't seen before and really encapsulates what it means to be born in the "find out" generation after our elders "fucked around." ( )

Damn… :) ( )

When their parents rent a large isolated house for a getaway week-end, Eve, her brother and the other children, from six to sixteen years old, gradually distance themselves from the adults whose behaviour they find embarrassing. When a storm hits and the floods and destruction begin, the children have to fend for themselves in an increasingly apocalyptic world, then eventually take care of the adults too. At the same time as they try to survive they face a number of coming of age situations. But will their fresh and sensible outlook on a decadent world be sufficient to save it?

Lydia Millet writes beautifully and simply about the impending climactic disasters awaiting us, cleverly integrating biblical stories and themes. The characters, both children and adults, allow her to illustrate a variety of human failings as well as admirable traits, but aside from Eve and her brother, I found it difficult to relate to some of the other children and kept forgetting their names or confusing them. And while I love the way the story is a metaphor for how the supposedly responsible people are sleep-walking into a climactic disaster, the way the story unfolds and ends is a bit open-ended, which may frustrate readers who are looking for answers or inspiration. ( )

My reaction to Lydia Millett's novels has been inconsistent. I loved Oh Pure and Radiant Heart, but really disliked Sweet Lamb of Heaven, or maybe I just felt there were lots of problems with it. I still have Mermaids in Paradise waiting for me on the shelf.

This one falls into the "like" category. It's similar to other books I've read by her in that the plot is seemingly grounded in reality, but there are elements that move it into the magical or surreal, or, in this case, the dystopian.

As the novel opens, a group of families has rented a large house near the coast for the summer. The "grownups" are mostly involved with drinking, drugs and sex, and the kids, a dozen or so ranging from about 10 to 17, are left mostly on their own. One of the kids has been given a children's Bible, and he is particularly taken with the story of Noah's Ark, and feels compelled to save animals.

A massive hurricane is approaching, and the adults are largely ignoring it, and continue to do so even after the storm has passed and they seem to be largely cut off from the rest of civilization. The kid's decide to run away, and they find devastation and chaos outside.

This seems to be some sort of fable about climate change, about Nero fiddling while Rome burns, about how the children will save us all. And I think that overall it works. It's not perfect, but definitely a good read.

3 1/2 stars

First Line: "Once we lived in a summer country."
Last line: "We call that hope, you see." ( )