What to Read Now: Climate Fiction

Wild Dark Shore transports us to the island of Shearwater, where the Salt family must confront long-buried secrets after a mysterious woman washes ashore. Poignant and thought-provoking, McConaghy’s latest work calls attention to the lasting impact our choices have on an ever-changing world. With a talent to bring nature to life as its own character, McConaghy has firmly established herself as a notable voice in eco-fiction. 

Haunting and unforgettable, All the Water in the World tells the story of a flooded world, and one family’s determination to keep their community alive while living in a created settlement atop the American Museum of Natural History. This all-too-prescient story introduces us to a fictional account of a possible dystopian future.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Powers (The Overstory) weaves a rich story of four people joined on an island that is chosen as the site of a revolutionary — and ecologically destructive — project. This multi-layered novel about life in, out of and around the ocean riffs on ideas of playgrounds and paradise; computer games and AI; adventure, exploration, colonization and more.

Two sisters have lived their whole lives in a secluded garden cut off from the outside world. When an outsider disrupts their solitude, the world as they know it will never be the same. A dreamlike story that reads like a darkly imagined fable, The Garden is an eerie and compelling exploration of love, loneliness and sisterhood.

This is a haunting look at a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by climate and economic catastrophes. Thought-provoking and brilliantly written, Parable of the Sower is a warning about what the future of Earth could look like if climate change is not taken seriously.

Exploring themes of grief and loss — particularly as it relates to our impact on the planet — How High We Go in the Dark is stunning portrait of human resilience in the wake of climate disaster. Nagamatsu, through his lyrical prose, reflects on humanity, the universe and the threads that connect us. 

A gripping and gritty look at a dystopian America, American War by Omar El Akkad (One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This) brings us into the middle of a country ravaged by floods and unchecked climate change. A story about division, resistance, warfare, and revenge, this is a powerful take on an all too possible reality.

How Beautiful We Were is a powerful — and devastating— novel that follows one African village’s fight against an American oil company. Imbolo Mbue deftly explores the legacy of colonialism and its harmful impact on the environment through the community of Kosawa. This novel reminds of us the importance of community and standing up for what’s right, even if it seems impossible.