“Only an experienced social worker with a heart for social justice could have written a thriller of this caliber. In a novel that challenges a radioactive core of secrecy, Dorothy Van Soest has deftly shaped a protagonist who balances integrity and idealism as she attempts to save lives and herself.” — Carol Masters, You Can’t Do That! Marv Davidov, Non-Violent Revolutionary (2009), The Peace Terrorist (1994), Dear Descendent (2019). “Some books entertain, some inform, some inspire. Nuclear Option does all three. This story weaves the lives of troubled, courageous, ordinary people who struggle to avenge and heal harms by challenging powerful corporate and government powers. Even more than most historical fiction, this is an exceptionally meaningful book for students, clubs, and study groups to discuss the timeless, universal question: why, what, and how are you willing to fight or die for?” — Beth Brunton, Earth Care not Warfare “Nuclear Option captures so well, especially in sleuth Sylvia Jensen, the brilliant and passionate peace and justice activists I have known over the years who are driven by heart and conscience to create the world we want to see. Kudos to Van Soest for conveying, in a bite-size and very personalized form that we can take in, the difficult and scary information about the nuclear threat we need in order to save the world.” — Marybeth Gardam, Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom U.S. Section Committee Chair, Iowa Women for Peace co-founder, Iowa PSR “Few writers are more deft at intertwining mystery with social issues of urgent concern than Dorothy Van Soest. Nuclear Option, her latest novel, reunites that unlikely duo, Sylvia Jensen and J.B. Harrell, as they investigate how a lethal past, both personal and national, detonates into the present. With results that are explosive!” — Carol Mossman, Author, The Narrative Matrix, Politics and Narratives of Birth, Writing with a Vengeance “This thrill-packed Sylvia Jensen mystery reminds us of the costs the world has paid and continues to pay for maintaining nuclear arsenals that threaten unimaginable horror. Dorothy Van Soest immerses us in the world of ordinary people who won’t go quietly into oblivion.” — Charlie Cooper, Democracy and Justice Advocate, Baltimore, MD “Nuclear Option shines a light on a little known history of when the U.S. government conducted nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands and exposed military troops to radiation for research on its effects on humans. Van Soest’s novel follows the inter-generational family of an Atomic Veteran whose outrage at the results of his direct exposure leads to their persistence to hold the government accountable. Helping to guide the activism of father and son is the anti-nuclear activist Sylvia Jensen, who has her own struggles related to her involvement in the antinuclear movement. Nuclear Option is a love story and a thriller in its own right. Anti-war activists will be intrigued with the struggles within the antinuclear movement to find right strategies and the challenging ethical decision the heroine is compelled to make. The novel made me sad and angry and it also gave me hope in the courage and creativity of people confronting a historic injustice and the lessons they learned. Enjoyable and thought provoking; highly recommended.” — Dan Gilman, Past President, Seattle Veterans For Peace
2020-06-24
In the third entry in Van Soest’s series, the son of an atomic-testing veteran discovers that the side effects of radiation poisoning can last for generations.
In 1984, anti-nuclear protester Sylvia Jensen meets Norton Cramer, an ex-serviceman who was exposed to the Operation Redwing nuclear tests that were carried out in the Pacific in the 1950s. She soon realizes that she’s found a kindred spirit, both ideologically and romantically. They’re arrested while demonstrating against a plutonium storage company and weapons manufacturer, and in an ensuing court hearing, Norton makes a very public and very dangerous announcement to the world about nuclear testing. By becoming a whistleblower, he knows he’s risking the wrath of the government, but his past exposure to high levels of radiation have left him with little to lose. In 2019, at the memorial service of a fellow activist, Sylvia meets Corey Cramer, Norton’s son, whom she’d last seen when he was a toddler. Their chance meeting leaves Sylvia with a deep sense of responsibility for Corey’s well-being. When his own 4-year-old son dies of cancer, he angrily sets out on a mission to find out the truth about what happened in the Pacific all those years ago—and he becomes involved with a militant anti-nuclear protest group that plans a terrible act of violence. In this latest series installment featuring Sylvia Jensen, Van Soest presents a well-researched, compassionate, and exciting blend of social commentary and political thriller. Along the way, she also manages to offer some sharp insights into the struggles of the anti-nuclear movement and its opponents. The interwoven plotlines, which bounce back and forth between the past and present, give readers a compelling view of three distinct eras of nuclear struggle—from the initial nuclear testing, through its horrible effects, to the stories of those who must deal with the consequences many years on. In the end, Sylvia is forced to act quickly in order to honor Corey’s father as his son goes down a dark path.
A perceptive thriller set in an offbeat milieu.
