After the Green Withered

Author, Kristin Ward did a remarkable thing with the story. She took the environmental disaster story that is very common right now due to all the concerns about climate change and made it fresh. No small feat. Ward gives us a glimpse into a very possible environmentally destroyed world that is a bit harrowing when you think that something like this could be right around the corner.

The story is about a character named Enora. She is an 18-year-old high school student when we first start this novel. Much of her education is created and run by an organization called DMC, a company that controls water and water allocation and by extension the fate of the citizens of the US. The DMC controls the future of every citizen including their profession and how they contribute to the community. Any deviation from class or societal rules is met with harsh and quick punishment. There is a lot of information to be taken in, in short order. How society works, why society has crumbled and risen the way it has. How Enora and her family fit into the niche of society the way they do. Once you get past all the back story, the pace slows down a bit and Ward works on showing you the kind of person Enora is. Scared and confused, sure. But Enora has a strong core of strength that gets more apparent as the story moves towards its denouement. My only complaint about it is the way the story ended. The story abruptly stopped when it felt like it just was getting started. I wanted more to be a part of this book, at least something that could be considered a turning point of climax. That being said, it is a very well written story with a lot of promise. I look forward to jumping into book two and seeing how Enora's journey pans out.