We're so thrilled to be hosting Nick Fuller Googins for his debut novel, The Great Transition, on Sunday, September 10th at 3pm! This is a favorite of our booksellers-- great for adults and older teens interested in a fictional look at the climate crisis and what our future could look like if we all work together.
For fans of Station Eleven and The Ministry for the Future, this richly imaginative, immersive, and "profound" (Alice Elliott Dark, author of Fellowship Point) novel is the electrifying story of a family in crisis that unfolds against the backdrop of our near future.
Emi Vargas, whose parents helped save the world, is tired of being told how lucky she is to have been born after the climate crisis. But following the public assassination of a dozen climate criminals, Emi's mother, Kristina, disappears as a possible suspect, and Emi's illusions of utopia are shattered. A determined Emi and her father, Larch, journey from their home in Nuuk, Greenland to New York City, now a lightly populated storm-surge outpost built from the ruins of the former metropolis. But they aren't the only ones looking for Kristina.
Thirty years earlier, Larch first came to New York with a team of volunteers to save the city from rising waters and torrential storms. Kristina was on the frontlines of a different battle, fighting massive wildfires that ravaged the western United States. They became part of a movement that changed the world---The Great Transition--forging a new society and finding each other in process.
Alternating between Emi's desperate search for her mother and a meticulously rendered, heart-stopping account of her parents' experiences during The Great Transition, this novel beautifully shows how our actions today determine our fate tomorrow. A triumphant debut, The Great Transition is a breathtaking rendering of our near future, told through the story of one family trying to protect each other and the place we all call home.
Our booksellers' praise for The Great Transition:
"A beautiful story about rebuilding and sacrifice, in the name of love and in the face of disaster. This hopeful rendition of climate fiction will tug at heartstrings you didn't even know you had." -
Alden
"Aww what a book. If climate fiction lately has been getting you down, may I suggest this absolute gem? Does everything burn? Sure. Does the sea level rise and take out whole cities? Yes of course it does. But in this book, we see a beautiful future that happens when the world realizes change actually must happen-- the Great Transition. It's inspiring and thought provoking, and that's just the backstory. This novel also has a fast moving plot and characters you will totally love. Such a great read. Couldn't put it down." - Stef
Nick Fuller Googins has published short stories and essays in The Paris Review, the Los Angeles Times, The Southern Review, and elsewhere. He lives in Maine, and works as an elementary school teacher. The Great Transition is his first novel.
