Swarm - Softcover

Carter, Lauren

3.5

107 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1927366208 ISBN 13: 9781927366202

Publisher: Brindle & Glass Pub Ltd, 2013

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In the not-too-distant future, thirty-seven-year-old Sandy lives a challenging and unfamiliar life. She survives by fishing, farming, and beekeeping on an isolated island with her partner, Marvin, and friend, Thomson. When the footprints of a thieving child start appearing in their garden, the family must come together to protect both the child and their fragile community.

In the face of scarcity, Sandy still dreams of being a mother. The thought of a child compels her to revisit her earlier life in a city plagued by power outages, unemployment, and protests. There she met Marvin and joined his violent cause, initiating a chain of events that led to tragic and life-altering consequences.

A powerful debut novel, Swarm is about persevering in a time of shrinking options, and coming to terms with regrettable choices.

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About the Author:

Lauren Carter has been published in several literary journals and has been nominated for the Journey Prize. Lichen Bright, her first collection of poetry, was long-listed for the ReLit Award. Her non-fiction articles have appeared in a variety of publications, including National Geographic Traveler, This Magazine, the Georgia Straight, First Nations Drum, The Writer, and Adbusters. A transplanted Ontarian, she currently lives in The Pas, Manitoba. Swarm is her first novel. More information can be found on her website laurencarter.ca.

From Booklist:

Imbued with dark lyricism and a disturbingly credible view of the end of the world, Carter’s debut sifts through the lives of people existing on an isolated island, grappling just to survive a time of enormous social upheaval and change. Cassandra “Sandy” Burch-Bailey fled her crumbling city just before the power finally went out and plunged it into a mire of chaos and crime. Her practical, hard-eyed boyfriend, Marvin, and the elderly, ill Thomson are her only companions—until Sandy notices missing food and tiny footprints in the garden. Convinced a wild child is also on the island and stealing their food for sustenance, Sandy begins to narrate her story to what she envisions is a little girl while also putting out plates of their very meager food supply. Creating a quite convincing view of how our economic system and social conveniences might dissolve, the story is carried by strong, descriptive writing by poet Carter, further impelled by the sense of mystery around the feral girl and wonderment over what will become of the characters. A somberly melodic, literary foray into the current dystopian trend. --Julie Trevelyan

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