Adrift

March 1, 2023

DEBUT Brideau's debut set in a near-future Pacific Northwest raises questions about self and identity. Ess awakens on a sailboat with a headache, no memories, and a note telling her she needs to start over. She makes her way to a nearby port city, where she learns she may not be the only amnesiac out there. A clue to her past prompts her to make the perilous journey to the coastal city of Nanaimo, where she befriends harbor-authority agent Hito. When more amnesia refugees arrive, Ess notes the similarities--and one important distinction. Signs indicate she's done this to herself. The more she learns about the other amnesia cases, the more she believes there's a connection. But just when answers seem within reach, she's forced to make the ultimate choice. The setting offers a stark glimpse of a possible future and the politics of climate displacement. Readers will root for Ess as she battles Mother Nature and herself in a quest for answers. VERDICT Give this one to suspense readers eager for a different kind of thriller, as well as fans of survival fiction.--Vicki Briner

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March 20, 2023
At the start of Brideau’s uneven debut, a woman wakes up on a sailboat moored in a remote archipelago off the British Columbian coast. It’s 2038, and she has no memory of her past, though she finds envelopes filled with cash and a pair of notes on board, one stating her name is Sarah Jane Song, and another warning, “Start over.... Don’t look back.” She sets sail in search of her identity, dubs herself Ess, and discovers she is among the growing number of “amnesia refugees” escaping climate disaster in the U.S. Ess tries to keep her memory loss under wraps as governments worldwide round up refugees like her and place them in camps. After a strong start, the plot stalls and Brideau’s thoughts on the effects of climate change take center stage (“All these people see the crumbling infrastructure around them and realize climate change is real despite all the effort to deny it, and they finally realize it’s going to get extremely shitty,” one character clumsily monologues). The author shows promise, but struggles to cross the finish line. Agent: Sarah Bedingfield, Levine Greenberg Rostan.

May 1, 2023
In the near future, a woman wakes on a sailboat, ill and disoriented. When she looks in the mirror, she doesn't recognize her reflection nor does she remember anything at all. She can do things, she knows how to sail, but she doesn't know how she knows. A warning note on the table tells her not to look to the past. Thus starts the story of Sarah, who calls herself Ess, and her journey to fill in the gaps about who she is. Climate change has devastated the world: coastlines are flooded, towns have disappeared under the sea, storms are historic. Canada, where Ess lives, is still inhabitable, but experiencing mass immigration. Ess finds a clue, sails a bit south, and despite her fears, finds friends and allies. Warnings continue to appear, but she presses on for information. Any more plot might lead to spoilers for this fast-paced, riveting, not-quite-sf thriller. It is a great read, offering an unsubtle warning of the future, that's suitable for all fiction collections

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