Wow wow wow! What a great follow up to The history of bees! I think this is a very important read, with a very real seeming future scenario. So well written, have already pre ordered a physical copy (signed editions are available at waterstones) I recommend you do the same!

I loved history of bees so I was eager to read this one, and it didn’t disappoint. Lunde’s prose is exquisite, a perfect showcase for the haunting and often difficult themes. In this instance the book takes a look a child-parent dynamics and mirrors it with a look at our role in global warming. It’s very clever and poignant. The dual narrative is a perfect fit, never jarring between the two threads. This is an excellent book.

I really enjoyed reading this book despite not thinking I would. The cover and title had initially piqued my interest but upon reading the first few paragraphs I thought, ‘maybe this isn’t really my thing’. I know, I know, that’s far too soon to tell! But I am very glad to say I was wrong!

Lunde’s characters draw you into their lives and the world around them so deeply that, between reading sessions, I found myself thinking about them. I couldn’t help but fall in love with Signe’s passion for what she believed was right, even as all she knew was changing. However, there were times I felt disappointed in her, and even David despite his dire circumstances as a father trying desperately to reunite his family.

There were scenes that made me ache for them both with sadness and happiness. There were also scenes that left a bad taste in my mouth and made me uncomfortable as I recognised the world around me and what it could become.

To have David’s narrative of the world Signe fought so hard to save run parallel to her fight felt totally natural in its telling and never disjointed, even when exploring subplots.
‘The End of the Ocean’ is full of things to unpack from our role in global warming to parent/child relationships and the mirroring of the two narratives explores it all wonderfully. I hope to revisit this book again!

Since reading The History of Bees, I’ve been eagerly awaiting Maja Lunde’s next novel, and it does not disappoint. I read it cover to cover in one day.

The End of the Ocean is split between two timeframes – 2017, when Signe, now an old lady, sails her boat from Scandinavia to France with a cargo of glacier ice to protest at the door of Magnus, CEO of a glacial-ice harvesting company, and an old love. On her journey, Signe remembers her past, a past of protest and environmental activism.

The second timeframe is set in the 2040s, and follows David and his young daughter Lou, travelling north through the refugee camps of Europe as they try to flee the drought and reunite with David’s wife Anna and their other child, August.

The stories are heartbreaking, so close to a harsh future reality that we can imagine; the ending blends them together seamlessly and with hope. Highly highly recommended.

This is a story about conservation, family, and personal strength. But it is primarily a story about water.

We follow Signe, a woman living in 2017 in Norway whose life has always revolved around water: from swimming in crystal clear lakes to sailing the oceans. She has tried to defend her small town against developments which will disrupt the natural beauty of its lakes, waterfalls, and glaciers. We also follow David and his young daughter Lou in 2041 in France. Water is sparse, drought is all-encompassing, fires are spreading. Both Signe and David are just trying to survive; neither knows thar their stories will intertwine

This book was originally published in Norwegian in 2017 titled Blå, the Norwegian for blue. I don't think I've ever read a book set in Norway before, but I loved the setting

The setting of near-future, drought-ridden France was so tangible, I was constantly thirsty reading this as David and Lou were. Where one drop of water could mean the difference between life and death. The story was beautifully written and I could feel the struggles of all of the characters

The tone of it, of David's post-apocalyptic chapters especially, reminded me a little of Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel. It is a small, quiet story of the lives of two people and the greater impact small decisions can make on our own lives and those of the people who will come after us

I really liked the father-daughter relationship between David and Lou. Lou was written as a believable child, which cannot be said of many children in fiction. The actions and behaviours of all of the characters were believable, which really brought the story to life and allowed me to become fully submerged within it

This book isn't set to be published until 31st October 2019 but I'd highly recommend picking it up when it comes out. If you enjoy literary fiction, quiet character-driven plots, and speculative fiction such as The Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake, and Station Eleven then I think you'll enjoy this