Happy World Book Day!

I am terrible at blogging! But whatever, less time spent writing about books means more time reading books, right? Right!

In celebration of World Book Day (which should really be every day), I shall share with you all my favourite book of 2016 (so far).

Gold Fame Citrus, by Claire Vaye Watkins

Gold Fame Citrus is probably one of the best sci-fi novels I’ve read in a while. I usually like my sci-fi full of aliens, adventures through space and complicated scientific theories that I only kind of understand (or at least pretend to understand), but this book is on a whole new level. It’s science fiction in a new way that I had never considered before. Imagine if an extreme period of climate change and ecological decay, predicted to take tens of thousands of years, was sped up and happened in the span of roughly 10-15 years.

What happens when the state of California, and its surrounding areas, are completely dried up, and everyone is forced to move to the east coast if they want any chance of survival? What happens to the people who decide to stick it out and forage for food, live off the land, and become one with the desert?

That’s what the two main characters, Luz and Ray, decide to do. Luz and Ray have a complicated relationship, but it’s beautiful. They only have each other. Their situation is clearly not ideal, but they take care of one another and always share their rationed cola.

After finding a toddler, clearly neglected by her caregivers, they decide to try and make it east to start new lives for themselves. But crossing a desert, which has already swallowed up an entire mountain range, is not easy. Especially when you get caught up with a group of people who truly believe that the desert chose them; they also may or may not realize that they’re in a cult.

Gold Fame Citrus is a harrowing story, but Watkins presents it with beautiful prose. I recommend reading this book if you’re looking for an original story packed with emotions.