a heart wrenching, emotional tale of how an indigenous island community struggles with climate change and medication resistant tetanus. sisi is trying to save her island from disaster; the sea is rising and their crops cannot survive the salt content of the water. when her husband suddenly dies, she finds out that she is pregnant. she has developed an intricate plan in the form of artificial reefs and sea level measuring, yet it is not enough. meanwhile, kit, an englishman, has joined a team of doctors and researchers to study the people of l’ambre. when kit thinks about attempting suicide after his family threatens to abandon him for not studying to become a lawyer, sisi stops him. they develop a friendship. the religion of mother sea is matriarchal, and women as well as nonbinary people govern the island. with the extreme infant mortality rate, the white english people urge the native population to relocate, leaving their island and everything they own behind to start anew.

masterfully written and beautifully crafted, “mother sea” is a work of art that tackles the impact of climate change on indigenous populations. haunting and beautiful, wilson writes of love, family, community, and the preservation of both culture and land. each character has a distinct voice, with all my love going towards each and every one of them. the nonbinary representation is truly phenomenal. this novel left me with many thoughts i will ponder on for a long time. we need to combat climate change and support those who are affected by it more than others.

thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy in exchange for an honest review!