The End of the Ocean takes place in two different time periods, 2017 and 2041. It is told through two stories that are woven together. The 2017 storyline follows 67-year old Signe first in Norway as she travels south to France in her small sailboat, Blue. We learn that she is an activist, just as her father was and is distraught when she learns that the ancient glaciers of her home are being mined to be shipped to the Middle East as "pure ice" for the wealthy. As an attempt to show her defiance and anger towards the destruction, she empties most of the mined ice back into the ocean and plans to deliver the rest to France. As she travels, we learn through her memories who signed off on the ice mining deal, why he is important to Signe's life, and her childhood impressions of the world.
The second storyline follows David and Lou during a massive drought in 2041. They live in South France and are fleeing the fires and desert looking for more water and a better climate. We learn that they were part of a family of four; Anna and August were supposed to meet them at the refugee camp set up near Timbaut, France. Eventually out of boredom and as a way to relieve the stress of camp life, David and Lou explore nearby houses and come upon a boat stored behind a house. It isn't in the best of shape, but Lou and David commandeer it as their play place and later it becomes the center of their plans for getting out of the drought-stricken area.
I don't want to get too much away about this story and how these two plotlines connect because "the reveal" so good when reading it. I had some inkling as I was reading, but it wasn't until I actually read the connecting chapter and linked all the dots did I really understand what was going on. I have to say, I love this book so much and really did enjoy the pacing and how it was told through alternating chapters. This seems to help keep the story going and makes you want to keep reading to see what happens. At first, I was not too fond of Signe's chapters just because they felt a bit flat for me and I am not one for boats or sailing. David's chapters about survival and the hardships of being a refugee were more interesting for me. There did come a point however when Signe's chapters gained my attention and I found David's character to be one that I was not too fond of. I enjoyed how this story kept me on the my toes and made me re-evaluate characters, what a character flaw is, and the idea that not everyone is perfect. In the end, this story speaks to what it is to be human and keep surviving even past what you think possible.
This story is also rich with a discussion on climate change and environmental activism. I have never read a book that was able to use these two themes are major devices to both keep the story going and to help make a much larger point. Even though we are going through huge climate issues and the idea of climate change as fact is being actively challenged, reading about such things as a viewer rather than someone currently in it, really opens up the viewing platform and creates a space to think about what it would be like if it didn't rain or how would humanity survive. I am so glad to have read this book and had those deep thoughts of survival and how much humans have hurt and are destroying our planet.
I didn't know this when I started this book, but it is part of a series! I don't think it is a connected series that continues book-to-book but rather is loosely connected via broader themes and ideas. I definitely want to read the first book in this series, The History of Bees and read more in Lunde's creative world.
As for this book specifically, the writing was superb. Next to the heart-wrenching and hopeful story and the larger comments on climate change and environmentalism, the writing in this book is so beautiful and poetic. Lunde knows how to capture the rocking movement of the ocean in Signe's storyline and the dry, dusty heat in David's storyline. I was so impressed with how flawlessly she can convert between the two. I also loved how the book chapters are set up. They do alternate storylines, but more specifically I enjoyed how they would bookend each other and some actions or things would be mirrored. For example, at the end of one chapter Signe is showering and enjoying all the senses that go with cleansing after not being clean for days. The next chapter begins with David and Lou also getting to experience showering, but it is dramatically different from Signe's experience. Those two are juxtaposed which enhances the storyline and setting of each individual plot. This sort of mirroring device is used multiple times, perfectly throughout this book and really deepens the feelings and sensations while reading.
Overall, I absolutely love this book. When I started reading it was a bit difficult because it begins with Signe's chapter and the writing is very abstract and poetic there. Once I was accustomed to the writing style and was a few chapters in, I warmed up so quickly and ended up not wanting to put this book down. There is so much buried and woven in this story; I wish it were required reading just because it has so much to say about now and the future, as well as what it means to be a human and be happy. I am so glad to have read this book and can't wait to see what else Lunde writes!
The second storyline follows David and Lou during a massive drought in 2041. They live in South France and are fleeing the fires and desert looking for more water and a better climate. We learn that they were part of a family of four; Anna and August were supposed to meet them at the refugee camp set up near Timbaut, France. Eventually out of boredom and as a way to relieve the stress of camp life, David and Lou explore nearby houses and come upon a boat stored behind a house. It isn't in the best of shape, but Lou and David commandeer it as their play place and later it becomes the center of their plans for getting out of the drought-stricken area.
I don't want to get too much away about this story and how these two plotlines connect because "the reveal" so good when reading it. I had some inkling as I was reading, but it wasn't until I actually read the connecting chapter and linked all the dots did I really understand what was going on. I have to say, I love this book so much and really did enjoy the pacing and how it was told through alternating chapters. This seems to help keep the story going and makes you want to keep reading to see what happens. At first, I was not too fond of Signe's chapters just because they felt a bit flat for me and I am not one for boats or sailing. David's chapters about survival and the hardships of being a refugee were more interesting for me. There did come a point however when Signe's chapters gained my attention and I found David's character to be one that I was not too fond of. I enjoyed how this story kept me on the my toes and made me re-evaluate characters, what a character flaw is, and the idea that not everyone is perfect. In the end, this story speaks to what it is to be human and keep surviving even past what you think possible.
This story is also rich with a discussion on climate change and environmental activism. I have never read a book that was able to use these two themes are major devices to both keep the story going and to help make a much larger point. Even though we are going through huge climate issues and the idea of climate change as fact is being actively challenged, reading about such things as a viewer rather than someone currently in it, really opens up the viewing platform and creates a space to think about what it would be like if it didn't rain or how would humanity survive. I am so glad to have read this book and had those deep thoughts of survival and how much humans have hurt and are destroying our planet.
I didn't know this when I started this book, but it is part of a series! I don't think it is a connected series that continues book-to-book but rather is loosely connected via broader themes and ideas. I definitely want to read the first book in this series, The History of Bees and read more in Lunde's creative world.
As for this book specifically, the writing was superb. Next to the heart-wrenching and hopeful story and the larger comments on climate change and environmentalism, the writing in this book is so beautiful and poetic. Lunde knows how to capture the rocking movement of the ocean in Signe's storyline and the dry, dusty heat in David's storyline. I was so impressed with how flawlessly she can convert between the two. I also loved how the book chapters are set up. They do alternate storylines, but more specifically I enjoyed how they would bookend each other and some actions or things would be mirrored. For example, at the end of one chapter Signe is showering and enjoying all the senses that go with cleansing after not being clean for days. The next chapter begins with David and Lou also getting to experience showering, but it is dramatically different from Signe's experience. Those two are juxtaposed which enhances the storyline and setting of each individual plot. This sort of mirroring device is used multiple times, perfectly throughout this book and really deepens the feelings and sensations while reading.
Overall, I absolutely love this book. When I started reading it was a bit difficult because it begins with Signe's chapter and the writing is very abstract and poetic there. Once I was accustomed to the writing style and was a few chapters in, I warmed up so quickly and ended up not wanting to put this book down. There is so much buried and woven in this story; I wish it were required reading just because it has so much to say about now and the future, as well as what it means to be a human and be happy. I am so glad to have read this book and can't wait to see what else Lunde writes!