The End of the Ocean has two narrators Signe, in 2017, and David (with his little daughter, Lou), in 2041. The location of the story is Norway, the ocean, and drought stricken Europe. In 2041, wars are waging, people are dying due to lack of water, refugee camps are overflowing and then falling apart, as they can't keep up with the influx of refugees.
Seventy year old Signe, is crusty, angry, fueled by that anger, and has one more point to make, one more point to drive home, about the damage being done to her homeland. Thank goodness we get to meet Signe as a very young girl because otherwise I would never have been able to stand the older Signe or come close to understanding her. Little Signe became an environmentalist at a very young age, through the teachings of her father, and she never stopped fighting to save the world.
Twenty five year old David and his six year old daughter, Lou, are finding refuge in a refugee camp where his wife Anna had been wanting to take their family. David and Lou were separated from Anna and their one year old son, August, and now David and Lou are half a family, looking for Anna and August, but really not expecting to find them. David is another unlikable narrator for me because he seems so immature, often neglecting what is best for Lou, introspective to a fault, because he knows what he needs to do and doesn't do it.
Although these three people never meet, they are linked when David and Lou find Signe's boat and other things. The stories are told alternately, as we see events in Signe's time that help to bring on the devastation of David and Lou's time. Little Lou is David's conscience when he so desperately needs one and as with young Signe, Lou is a big part of what makes this story mean all the more to me. It hurts to read how much the children need from their parents and don't get, not material things, but instead feelings of attentiveness and safety that often go unmet. And then there is the lack of freshwater, for water is the heart of this book.
Thank you to HarperVia and BookishFirst for this ARC.
Seventy year old Signe, is crusty, angry, fueled by that anger, and has one more point to make, one more point to drive home, about the damage being done to her homeland. Thank goodness we get to meet Signe as a very young girl because otherwise I would never have been able to stand the older Signe or come close to understanding her. Little Signe became an environmentalist at a very young age, through the teachings of her father, and she never stopped fighting to save the world.
Twenty five year old David and his six year old daughter, Lou, are finding refuge in a refugee camp where his wife Anna had been wanting to take their family. David and Lou were separated from Anna and their one year old son, August, and now David and Lou are half a family, looking for Anna and August, but really not expecting to find them. David is another unlikable narrator for me because he seems so immature, often neglecting what is best for Lou, introspective to a fault, because he knows what he needs to do and doesn't do it.
Although these three people never meet, they are linked when David and Lou find Signe's boat and other things. The stories are told alternately, as we see events in Signe's time that help to bring on the devastation of David and Lou's time. Little Lou is David's conscience when he so desperately needs one and as with young Signe, Lou is a big part of what makes this story mean all the more to me. It hurts to read how much the children need from their parents and don't get, not material things, but instead feelings of attentiveness and safety that often go unmet. And then there is the lack of freshwater, for water is the heart of this book.
Thank you to HarperVia and BookishFirst for this ARC.