Realms Review: 'Love in the Time of Global Warming'

When you think of global warming and other aspects of climate change, you probably don't think of Homer's The Odyssey. We at Realms have just finished reading Love in the Time of Global Warming, written by Francesca Lia Block. For those of you who don't know, it's a story about a girl who's been separated from her family after a catastrophic earthquake wrecks all of California, and perhaps even the world. The story is about her journey to reunite with them, though she fights the giants that caused the apocalypse and makes new friends along the way. Ultimately, it's a book about transformation, something we all can relate to.

Francesca Lia Block's prose is phenomenal. She carefully weaves in Penelope's (the main character) narration with stunning visuals and relevant bits of The Odyssey. From the beginning, we were hooked, and for a while it was unclear how to distinguish reality from fantasy, an aspect of this book we loved. Was everything that was happening actually happening or the result of an overwhelmed, anxious, and unreliable narrator? The book constantly had the reader guessing until the last page. Hope and longing dripped from every page. Despite how heart-wrenching it is, when Pen (Penelope) encounters new characters who've survived the earthquake, the witty dialogue that follows will make you laugh out loud.

Even after the apocalypse, people are capable of smiling, forming new relationships, and celebrating love in a time of terror. If you love fantasy and the classics, we highly recommend this YA Fantasy novel, which we've decided to give 5 stars. It will leave you in tears, though you'll have to figure out the "why."

Realms Review