I was eager to read this book because I live in a state where fracking is prevalent, and there are always conversations regarding its benefits and detractions. Never having read any of the author’s books before, I wasn’t sure how the topic would be addressed, so I approached with caution – I just hoped it wouldn’t turn into a diatribe (spoiler alert: it didn’t).
I will admit that the beginning seemed very slow to me. I understand that the author had to lay the foundation and let the reader get to know the characters, but it felt like it was too methodical and took too long. I kept wanting the action to kick off.
As I read further, I realized that the author was weaving a very dense web of character relations that would have an impact later in the book. I appreciated the beginning more when I realized it, but still made for a slow start.
The action did pick up some, as the main characters (Bede and Elin) got caught up in the fervor surrounding the fracking. I liked having to figure out what was personal and what could be related to the protests.
I found that Bede’s love/hate relationship to the river made his character most interesting. The river had claimed his uncle’s life (hate), but he and Elin enjoyed being near it and didn’t want the pollution of the fracking (love). His paranoia (or was it?) and actions seemed real, as did his reactions to the events that occurred.
I think this was a perfect example of many peoples’ attitudes toward environmentalism. How far will people go to protect what they love and at what expenses? How does one find a balance between the two? And how does one deal when long-buried secrets come to light, changing everything? There were more than a few twists along the way that kept answers to those questions from being addressed too quickly.
The book ended up being a pretty good read. I would have liked it to move a little bit faster, but I thought the author did a great job of building the tension to the climax of the story (you know me, I don’t like to give away plot points).
Give this one a try – stick with the slow beginning. You’ll be glad you did.
