Description: A book on what happens when the delicate balance of nature tips in favor of the sea
The catastrophe that everyone knew was coming has arrived--the dykes are breached, the tideline rises a kilometer a day, and the citizens of the Netherlands are forced into gyms and shelters in Germany and Belgium. The foxes and rabbits head inland across the dunes. The politicians make empty speeches and fret the optics. The Hague--"the center of peace and justice"--slips beneath the rising water. Online retailers do flash sale promotions on disaster kits. There is violence and looting, but some people are too tired to start over again and simply walk into the rising tide.Not willing to simply move on, three women get into a small boat and ride back out over the flooded cities, looking for loved ones they know are likely drowned. On the way, they witness a world retaken by seabirds, whales, and kelp forests. The sea has spoken, and there's nothing left to be done but listen.Philosopher and cross-species linguist Eva Meijer's new novel redefines both nature writing and climate fiction by bringing the power and resilience of the natural world to the fore.Brief description: Eva Meijer is a visual artist, writer, philosopher, and singer-songwriter. They wrote more than twenty books, including novels, poetry and philosophical essays. Their writing has been translated into over twenty languages. Politics, madness, nonhuman animals, and language, including silence, are recurring themes in their work. Meijer works as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Amsterdam, writes for Dutch newspapers, and is a member of the Multispecies Art Collective.
Review Quotes: 'Sea: Now is a poetic, light-footed, and in light of the current crises in the world, an awfully topical document.'
- De Telegraaf'What characterizes Meijer is that she also pays attention to animals. Seagulls, rabbits who massively flee from the dunes. And also the sea gets a voice in the book. For years, Meijer has been concerned with ecology and climate change and with nature's place in our thinking and our society." - Trouw
'An original, intriguing story (...) A story that approaches a relevant theme in today's society, in beautiful language, and with characters that increasingly come to life. An exceptional novel.' -Friesch Dagblad