When I was younger, science was always my worst subject and even now, not much has changed so I can say with confidence that this book flew over my head. I was way too dumb to understand half of what was going on but what I did get, I enjoyed!
Climate change has always been scary to me and this book magnifies it tenfold. There's this feeling of "no way this'll actually happen" and "f***, this (or something similar) could and would probably happen eventually, maybe even in my lifetime."
Relatedly, the themes in the book were interesting to read in the way they presented a dichotomy in Celia and Kasey. One is someone who just wants to live, and the other is someone who wants to save the world. What makes one more right than the other? Is the world worth the means? What if one person is your world? Are people worth saving when they're the ones causing the harm? These are the questions we ask in the real world as well and even now, after reading this book, I don't have the answer. I don't believe anyone will truly be able to have one. People were still divided when disasters were happening around them in the book. Heck people in the real world were divided even when millions were dying from a pandemic. The parallels are grim, and I can't say the ending of THE ONES WE'RE MEANT TO FIND leaves you feeling particularly hopeful either.
Ultimately, though, I appreciated what Joan was trying to express. This book is a sister story, yes, but it's also a story about humanity, individualism vs. collectivism, the present for the future, climate change. Will we be able to come together at the eleventh hour to protect the planet and continue to live the way we have? Or will we be consumed by any sliver of convenience that we're able to retain from our current lives, even as the world dies around us? I guess only time will tell.
**this review can also be found on GR but I elaborate more here!**
Climate change has always been scary to me and this book magnifies it tenfold. There's this feeling of "no way this'll actually happen" and "f***, this (or something similar) could and would probably happen eventually, maybe even in my lifetime."
Relatedly, the themes in the book were interesting to read in the way they presented a dichotomy in Celia and Kasey. One is someone who just wants to live, and the other is someone who wants to save the world. What makes one more right than the other? Is the world worth the means? What if one person is your world? Are people worth saving when they're the ones causing the harm? These are the questions we ask in the real world as well and even now, after reading this book, I don't have the answer. I don't believe anyone will truly be able to have one. People were still divided when disasters were happening around them in the book. Heck people in the real world were divided even when millions were dying from a pandemic. The parallels are grim, and I can't say the ending of THE ONES WE'RE MEANT TO FIND leaves you feeling particularly hopeful either.
Ultimately, though, I appreciated what Joan was trying to express. This book is a sister story, yes, but it's also a story about humanity, individualism vs. collectivism, the present for the future, climate change. Will we be able to come together at the eleventh hour to protect the planet and continue to live the way we have? Or will we be consumed by any sliver of convenience that we're able to retain from our current lives, even as the world dies around us? I guess only time will tell.
**this review can also be found on GR but I elaborate more here!**