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If you liked Flight Behavior, by Barbara Kingsolver or The Overstory, by Richard Powers…
Caroline Ailanthus’ novel, Ecological Memory, is set twenty years after a catastrophic global pandemic. It is part scientific detective story, part post-apocalyptic travelogue. It is NOT a dystopia—although the author uses catastrophe as a starting point, her vision for the future is quite optimistic. The story explores how the characters, society, and the planet find ways to heal. It’s a book about what happens AFTER you lose everything. Caroline wrote the book well before our real pandemic, but now finds her story has become unexpectedly timely.
Caroline will briefly talk about the book’s plot, main characters, and other relevant points, then will read several excerpts and use them as starting points to discuss two themes:
1) creating a fictional pandemic vs. living in a real one
2) looking to the science of ecology as a source of perspective and hope in the face of loss
She’ll end with a question-and-answer period, and may read additional excerpts as part of the discussion.
Author Bio:
Caroline Ailanthus is primarily a science writer; even her fiction blends science and story. She is also the author of the Climate in Emergency blog. Ecological Memory is her second published novel. She grew up in Delaware and attended various small, odd schools, mostly in New England, earning BA in Environmental Leadership and an MS in Environmental Studies. She lives in Maryland with her husband and assorted animals.