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mazloum's review
5.0
A fun window into what life could be within the next 50 years or so, as people adapt to a world largely shaped by our own desires and fantasies, attempting to make up for the irreparable damage caused to the environment and natural resources we possess. Told in a number of brief vignettes, the book explores different sorts of love and how it can be seen through the lens of a slightly changed world. It is beautifully written, and a particularly easy read, while also causing the reader to think about what their own life is going to look like in such a world.
A particular note that stuck with me was one stated near the end, of how nature and love are intertwined in our lives in many ways, and how one day we'll look back at expressions of affection nowadays and wonder about how different it once was.
But, this is far from a bleak note. It's simply the acceptance of inevitability, and the examination of what comes next.
A particular note that stuck with me was one stated near the end, of how nature and love are intertwined in our lives in many ways, and how one day we'll look back at expressions of affection nowadays and wonder about how different it once was.
But, this is far from a bleak note. It's simply the acceptance of inevitability, and the examination of what comes next.
dani7silver's review
5.0
This book sets out to answer the question Jamieson and Nadzam set of "....where does nature end, and we begin?" (p. 17). Focused on the main theme of love, each story centers around a nondescript, yet somewhat near future in which the human race must navigate the various obstacles set in by climate change. The stories are less so about development these places and people, but more so serve as the vehicle to discuss the philosophical impacts of a world impacted by humans and our interface to it.
I found the penultimate story, 'Zoo,' to be one of the more interesting metaphors for embracing change in the natural world. The story is about the zookeeper for the last surviving tiger in a world where virtual reality tigers can nearly replace the experience of the real thing. While on a date, the zookeeper has to defend to his date why he does not believe that the last real tiger is an objectively sad thing or a failure of mankind, and does not think the tiger has any concept of this as well. His date questions this, noting the sentimentality and perhaps the prospects that the tiger may feel lonely, to which the zookeeper responds, "She doesn't know what she's missing.... she's not the first creature to outlive her kind. They all went the same way. One left, then none" (p. 203). I think the ageing tiger serves as a good metaphor for the inevitable mortality of our own species, faced with this similar dilemma of separating ourselves from our actions, our relationship as part of nature, and the fact that we are not immortal beings (individually or as a whole). The projection of a morally objective sadness in the failure to preserve a dying species is a reflection of our own inability to accept that one day all species will either die out or evolve into something else. Whether natural change is a result of human action is somewhat irrelevant when we consider our positionality as a part of all other natural things. Perhaps a perspective shift in how we approach change of any sort can not only prevent existential anxieties, but also allow us to enjoy the beauty and love we can share in this ephemeral, yet delightful, present. But regardless, I recommend reading the book to ponder further these ideas.
"Our bodies - how we love with them and use them to navigate a first date to the movies, to waltz across a polished floor, to give up a subway seat to an elderly woman - are inseparable from nature." (p. 18).
I found the penultimate story, 'Zoo,' to be one of the more interesting metaphors for embracing change in the natural world. The story is about the zookeeper for the last surviving tiger in a world where virtual reality tigers can nearly replace the experience of the real thing. While on a date, the zookeeper has to defend to his date why he does not believe that the last real tiger is an objectively sad thing or a failure of mankind, and does not think the tiger has any concept of this as well. His date questions this, noting the sentimentality and perhaps the prospects that the tiger may feel lonely, to which the zookeeper responds, "She doesn't know what she's missing.... she's not the first creature to outlive her kind. They all went the same way. One left, then none" (p. 203). I think the ageing tiger serves as a good metaphor for the inevitable mortality of our own species, faced with this similar dilemma of separating ourselves from our actions, our relationship as part of nature, and the fact that we are not immortal beings (individually or as a whole). The projection of a morally objective sadness in the failure to preserve a dying species is a reflection of our own inability to accept that one day all species will either die out or evolve into something else. Whether natural change is a result of human action is somewhat irrelevant when we consider our positionality as a part of all other natural things. Perhaps a perspective shift in how we approach change of any sort can not only prevent existential anxieties, but also allow us to enjoy the beauty and love we can share in this ephemeral, yet delightful, present. But regardless, I recommend reading the book to ponder further these ideas.
"Our bodies - how we love with them and use them to navigate a first date to the movies, to waltz across a polished floor, to give up a subway seat to an elderly woman - are inseparable from nature." (p. 18).
calamityjones's review
5.0
The glorious takeaway: the natural world teaches us that something beyond ourself is real, and love is only possible when we recognize the reality of someone or something beyond ourselves, and so to lose or change our natural world means a change in our capacity for love, the ways we love ❤️
fqwatkins's review
2.0
Good/interesting concept, but the writing could really could have been stronger. None of the stories felt fully imagined, I never felt any sort of strong emotion linking the characters, and had to continually remind myselfto look for the love that the stories purported to imagine. Cliches and just straight-out bad writing abounded--i would have thought that any editor's pen would have caught "The sky was the blue of a royal blue crayon", especially as the introductory line of a story.
Finally, the theoretical framework was hobbled by the fact that the author seems never to have considered any alternative perspectives to the enlightenment-era conceptualization of "nature" as inherently separate from humanity. This view might be useful as a cultural marker/calling sign, but it breaks down at the first full-on glance, especially in light of contemporary scientific knowledge which indicates that one of the distinctive characteristics of humans is our tendency to alter our habitat to fit our needs (I.e. we have never existed in harmony with a "pure" or unaltered natural world, and "nature" is really just a theoretical construct), and on top of that, the anthropocene is far from the first time that life has contributed to a fundamental alteration of Earth's climate and geography (what is distinctive is our awareness of the change and its relative pace). In all, disappointingly realized.
Finally, the theoretical framework was hobbled by the fact that the author seems never to have considered any alternative perspectives to the enlightenment-era conceptualization of "nature" as inherently separate from humanity. This view might be useful as a cultural marker/calling sign, but it breaks down at the first full-on glance, especially in light of contemporary scientific knowledge which indicates that one of the distinctive characteristics of humans is our tendency to alter our habitat to fit our needs (I.e. we have never existed in harmony with a "pure" or unaltered natural world, and "nature" is really just a theoretical construct), and on top of that, the anthropocene is far from the first time that life has contributed to a fundamental alteration of Earth's climate and geography (what is distinctive is our awareness of the change and its relative pace). In all, disappointingly realized.
lmdo's review
4.0
I liked this much more than I expected to. It was a nice combination of meditations on love, our human conceptualisation of nature and what that all might mean in light of climate change. It also had a sci-fi element to it as well, with nothing being particularly blown out and very much just where we could end up in a few other steps down the "wrong" path. The short story format works well to not create any attachments to characters or scenarios, but it does paint a picture of what the world looked like.
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