As someone who has made a similar road trip to the protagonists in this book, and with a keen interested in climate change I really related to this book's journey and the thoughts and information on rivers, science and art.
I also liked how we slowly learned about Eloise and Lewis's relationship with little hints building throughout until the tragic ending.
Even when I wasn't reading this book I was thinking about it and thanks to my own knowledge and the writing I found it a very visual and affecting read.

While I enjoyed the writing immensely, and the way Watts described certain places and atmospheres, I really struggled with the pacing of the book. It was slow and hard to sink my teeth into. I also found myself failing to connect to any of the characters, which is a shame considering how beautifully written this book was.

Madeleine Watts’s latest novel, Elegy, Southwest, is a contemplative, slow-burning exploration of love, loss, and the delicate balance between humans and the environment. Set against the stark and hypnotic landscapes of the American Southwest, the story follows Eloise and Lewis on a two-week road trip through desert terrain shaped by the Colorado River. While wildfires rage and water supplies dwindle, the couple searches for connection in an ever-shifting emotional landscape.

One of the most compelling aspects of Elegy, Southwest is the author’s skillful depiction of place. Watts paints the desert with languid, almost dreamlike prose that mirrors the story’s deliberate pacing. Readers are guided through gaping canyons, quiet motels, and the endless stretches of highway that make up the Southwest, and these vivid descriptions frequently act as a counterpoint to the tense emotional undercurrents between the main characters. Environmental concerns, such as the threat of the Colorado River running dry, serve as a palpable backdrop, giving the narrative an underlying sense of urgency. This ecological focus extends beyond a simple research interest for Eloise; it influences every aspect of her interactions with Lewis and with the desert itself.

Eloise, an academic, is studying the region’s water crisis while privately grappling with the possibility of pregnancy. Lewis, meanwhile, mourns his mother’s passing and struggles to feel at home in a place he has always viewed with ambivalence. Their emotional arcs intersect with the larger story of environmental fragility, creating a seamless interplay between personal grief and ecological unease. This dual layer of tension propels the novel forward, although it does so at a measured, glacial pace that some readers may find challenging.

For those who enjoy a more action-driven plot, the book’s sedate rhythm might be difficult to engage with. Much of the story unfolds through introspection and subtle shifts in the characters’ relationship, which means extended sections can feel inert unless one is particularly drawn to contemplative prose. The novel’s stream-of-consciousness style, at times, leans heavily on academic or abstract language, potentially distancing readers who prefer a more straightforward narrative approach. Yet this stylistic choice does add dimension to Eloise’s character, reflecting her scholarly interests and highlighting her attempts to reconcile personal desires with broader environmental concerns.

Watts’s writing shines most brightly in the quiet moments—those intimate exchanges between Eloise and Lewis where their love, grief, and hopes for the future are laid bare. Even when they are emotionally distant, the tension between them feels heartbreakingly real, underscoring how loss and uncertainty can test any relationship. Their journey through desert landscapes becomes both literal and metaphorical, a difficult but compelling path marked by uncertainty.

Ultimately, Elegy, Southwest is not a book for everyone. Its introspective tone and restrained plot progression demand patience from the reader. However, those who appreciate richly rendered settings, thoughtful meditations on environmental issues, and a more measured, introspective form of storytelling may find it a rewarding experience. While the novel’s pace can be languid—and may frustrate readers seeking a faster tempo—its evocative landscape, finely observed emotional truths, and thematic depth create a memorable exploration of how love, grief, and place are inextricably linked.

Despite an interesting premise and some nice prose, the books pacing was too slow for me and I struggled to connect with the characters, who didn’t feel fully fleshed-out. I ended up putting it down at around the halfway mark.

I don’t read many books set in the American Southwest and found this one incredibly moving. The landscape really complements the tone of the story. Lewis and Eloise’s relationship is heartbreaking and felt very real - I was both rooting for them and not but couldn’t stop reading.

Elegy, Southwest by Madeleine Watts is a relatable and well written novel that captures feelings of love and loss very effectively.

I was drawn in by the beautiful cover and intriguing premise but this was super disappointing. For me, this was a challenge to invest in and slog through.

I was excited by the climate breakdown and geography themes; but, I couldn’t enjoy them because the sections were so info-dumpy and boring, like reading a textbook.
It was obviously throughly researched, it just doesn’t make for particularly interesting reading.

Emotional and hard hitting dog death in first section. Why is every single dog in this book named Max?

The narrative has a gross navel-gazey vibe with painfully boring characters. I hated the vacuous narrator, Eloise. None of the peripheral characters made a lasting impression. In a novel this character driven, I need to have interesting, complex, or likeable characters. The stream of consciousness style probably works better for a journal entry than a novel.

This novel also follows a trend I’m noticing where authors try to be edgy x literary: using gratuitous sex/bodily fluids/crass terms amid overwrought, meandering writing. There’s something so jarring about this style and I really don’t enjoy it.

Self important and try-hard writing style that didn’t work for me at all. The pacing is glacial and narrative jumps around chaotically no artful flow. At times, there’s jarringly poor sentence structure and flow too, with awkward and unnatural wording. Of course, there’s also no speech punctuation because of course there isn’t. 🙄

The story is occasionally impactful but mostly dry and overwrought. I came to dread picking this up and reading it made me cranky. It speeds up at 90% but it was too little, too late for this reader - I was beyond caring.