Kids and Teen Blog
Love in the Time of Global Warming
by Jocelyne
YA Fiction / August 02, 2013
I count myself among the YA readers tiring quickly of the dystopia trend, so I was suspicious to hear that Francesca Lia Block had jumped on the bandwagon. Fortunately, I needn’t have worried.
Adding Greek mythology, LGBT themes and her trademark magical realism, Block rewards readers with a haunting apocalyptic novel that (for once) will certainly not be compared to the Hunger Games (in a good way!).
Full disclosure: I am a huge Francesca Lia Block (FLB) fan. From the charmed Weetzie Bat to the disturbing Wasteland, I have always faithfully followed where FLB led.
In this particular journey, we meet Pen (Penelope) in the moments following a devastating earthquake. It’s no accident that our heroine shares the name of Odysseus’s wife. FLB draws heavily from the Odyssey as Pen traverses through a broken and dangerous Los Angeles, desperate to find her family. Along the way she encounters sirens, lotus eaters and a host of other fantastical creatures who now populate the earth.
Love in the Time of Global Warming certainly contains more accessible prose than some FLB fans may be used to, but with signature echoes of the sweeping poetry we’ve seen in previous novels. The story is punctuated with a healthy dose of violence (how else do you vanquish mythological creatures?!) and some achingly beautiful romance. Readers will also be pleasantly surprised by an all-LGBTQ cast (including the main love interest, who is a transsexual man). A rare and lovely discovery in YA fiction.
For longtime fans of FLB, you will be happy to know that not since Necklace of Kisses has Block delivered style and imagination like that found in Love in the Time of Global Warming. For those invested in magical realism and looking for a beautifully penned adventure, start your FLB journey here.