"The Means of Keeping" is set in a near-future America and follows lifelong friends Tereza Allard and David Luca, who are devastated by a climate crisis-induced tragedy that claims the lives of their families. As they navigate their profound loss, the story poignantly captures the intersections of love, renewal, environmental activism, and the quest for meaning in a world teetering on the brink of irreversible damage.
The narrative style weaves the introspective depth reminiscent of Kazuo Ishiguro with the environmental consciousness of Barbara Kingsolver. It is designed for readers who seek not only a compelling story but also a reflection on the broader issues facing our world today. With its haunting prose and evocative imagery, the novel invites us to envision a future where love, resilience, community, and a strong commitment to our planet guide us towards regaining our collective humanity.
"The Means of Keeping" is set in a near-future America and follows lifelong friends Tereza Allard and David Luca, who are devastated by a climate crisis-induced tragedy that claims the lives of their families. As they navigate their profound loss, the story poignantly captures the intersections of love, renewal, environmental activism, and the quest for meaning in a world teetering on the brink of irreversible damage.
The narrative style weaves the introspective depth reminiscent of Kazuo Ishiguro with the environmental consciousness of Barbara Kingsolver. It is designed for readers who seek not only a compelling story but also a reflection on the broader issues facing our world today. With its haunting prose and evocative imagery, the novel invites us to envision a future where love, resilience, community, and a strong commitment to our planet guide us towards regaining our collective humanity.
May I be a guard for those who need protection,
A guide for those on the path,
A boat, a raft, a bridge for those who wish to cross the flood.
May I be a lamp in darkness,
A resting place for the weary,
A healing medicine for all who are sick,
A vase of plenty, a tree of miracles.
And for the boundless multitudes of living beings,
May I bring sustenance and awakening.
Enduring like the earth and sky
Until all beings are freed from sorrow
And all are awakened.
––Shantideva
Thirty-four years after Tereza Allard and David Luca became the best of friends, Tereza found herself preparing at the cliffs, their sanctuary. From her perch a hundred feet above, she watched storm waves pound the rocks below, unleashing their rage and grief, only to recede into the far depths to begin the cycle again. She would not be one of them anymore.
Methodically, Tereza disrobed, shedding her running shoes, sodden sweatpants, bloodstained t-shirt, and sports bra. She carefully folded each article of clothing, placing them in a neat pile beside her shoes and marking the spot with a stone. She glanced back at her electric SUV, where she had stashed the failed knife, the photograph, and the golden sculpture. What good had the SUV done? From the damp, almost frozen earth, she collected enough mud to paint her face.
A step closer to the edge, she caressed the diamond pendant gifted to her by her children on her forty-fifth birthday and, from the salty ocean mist, conjured their images: Robert, her eldest at eighteen, plunging off the diving board and cannonballing into the backyard pool; Elsa, at sixteen, blushing crimson when caught behind the front yard bushes making out with the boy next door; and Mary, at twelve, surrounded by a gaggle of young girls at her birthday party, gazing up at Tereza with admiring eyes no parent could count on forever. In a six-year whirlwind, all three had come into an uncertain world and recast Tereza for the better.
Twisting her wedding band on her finger, she rotated it to the right and left, its diamonds radiating a new significance. The ring felt looser than it had when she and Luke had wed twenty-three years prior. Not long ago, the latter half of their marriage still brimmed with potential. They would finish raising their children. They would protect all they’d built and offer aid to those less fortunate. They would grow old together. They were the lucky ones, living in Maine far enough north to have escaped the worst ravages of the climate crisis, at least temporarily. With diligence and a smattering of luck, they would weather the heat, the storms, and the floods. They would emerge even stronger and more united. They weren’t like all those propelled by inertia and convention, or denial and the whisper-whisper of more. Similar to the monarch butterfly, humanity was endangered, but the Allards would find a way to survive, even flourish.
Then, eighteen months ago, the microburst came and took her family.
In the center of a U-shaped clump of boulders below, an eddy formed. It felt like a portal to before, a time machine, a reprieve. David, sweet David, the only one left who would understand her decision, the only one who'd seen her clearly for decades––though not as much since the microburst. Still, he would find and act on the signposts she’d left for him. He would know how much she loved him despite the last eighteen months. He would know what to do.
The Means of Keeping is a poignant and often heartfelt book that uses 21st Century problems as a springboard for compelling drama.
Taking place in the 2030s, the story follows a middle-woman named Tereza who has lost her family in a plane crash caused by a microburst storm, a rapidly increasing occurence due to the onset of climate change. With her close friends David and Emma, the trio embarks on a major project; creating a sustainable community that will set an example to other American settlements and work to protect the environment for future generations.
What makes The Means of Keeping work so well are the main characters; Tereza, David and Emma are all very well developed as people who have gone through difficult times. They join the wider community of Keeping to take positive steps forward for both themselves and the planet. Over time, we learn more about their difficulties and secrets, but the book's beating heart places emphasis on rebuilding and forgiveness. The way they work through difficulties and return to a more content state despite their age and losses is a major theme.
The middle of the book focuses mainly on the community efforts to be more sustainable and good to the environment while fending off attacks from the nefarious Sons of Tomorrow. The only downside to the book is how this hostile group and other side characters like Johanna and Samuel go by underused. They play smaller roles in the narrative and don't recieve much in the way of arcs or closure. Be that as it may, the focus remains squarely on the three leads
Recommended?
YES: The Means of Keeping may be based in a contemporary setting, but the main priority lies with the characters and their personal bonds. Rich Marcello does a great job getting you invested into why they go on their personal journies in Keeping and beyond. Some of the side characters are a little underused, but this is still a very worthwhile read.