The End of the Ocean

This is a story about conservation, family, and personal strength. But it is primarily a story about water.

We follow Signe, a woman living in 2017 in Norway whose life has always revolved around water: from swimming in crystal clear lakes to sailing the oceans. She has tried to defend her small town against developments which will disrupt the natural beauty of its lakes, waterfalls, and glaciers. We also follow David and his young daughter Lou in 2041 in France. Water is sparse, drought is all-encompassing, fires are spreading. Both Signe and David are just trying to survive; neither knows thar their stories will intertwine

This book was originally published in Norwegian in 2017 titled Blå, the Norwegian for blue. I don't think I've ever read a book set in Norway before, but I loved the setting

The setting of near-future, drought-ridden France was so tangible, I was constantly thirsty reading this as David and Lou were. Where one drop of water could mean the difference between life and death. The story was beautifully written and I could feel the struggles of all of the characters

The tone of it, of David's post-apocalyptic chapters especially, reminded me a little of Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel. It is a small, quiet story of the lives of two people and the greater impact small decisions can make on our own lives and those of the people who will come after us

I really liked the father-daughter relationship between David and Lou. Lou was written as a believable child, which cannot be said of many children in fiction. The actions and behaviours of all of the characters were believable, which really brought the story to life and allowed me to become fully submerged within it

This book isn't set to be published until 31st October 2019 but I'd highly recommend picking it up when it comes out. If you enjoy literary fiction, quiet character-driven plots, and speculative fiction such as The Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake, and Station Eleven then I think you'll enjoy this

Since reading The History of Bees, I’ve been eagerly awaiting Maja Lunde’s next novel, and it does not disappoint. I read it cover to cover in one day.

The End of the Ocean is split between two timeframes – 2017, when Signe, now an old lady, sails her boat from Scandinavia to France with a cargo of glacier ice to protest at the door of Magnus, CEO of a glacial-ice harvesting company, and an old love. On her journey, Signe remembers her past, a past of protest and environmental activism.

The second timeframe is set in the 2040s, and follows David and his young daughter Lou, travelling north through the refugee camps of Europe as they try to flee the drought and reunite with David’s wife Anna and their other child, August.

The stories are heartbreaking, so close to a harsh future reality that we can imagine; the ending blends them together seamlessly and with hope. Highly highly recommended.

A moving account of what could happen to our world with rising tides and depleting rain fall. We follow two central characters as they deal with crises affecting water in their own times - how to protect a valuable resource of ecological significance when others only see profit to be made, and how to fight for survival when water has become the only resource that matters. Poignant and emotively told, these two central characters' stories intertwine like streams to form a thunderous deluge of a novel, rich in detail and emotion. Very beautiful.

I loved history of bees so I was eager to read this one, and it didn’t disappoint. Lunde’s prose is exquisite, a perfect showcase for the haunting and often difficult themes. In this instance the book takes a look a child-parent dynamics and mirrors it with a look at our role in global warming. It’s very clever and poignant. The dual narrative is a perfect fit, never jarring between the two threads. This is an excellent book.

Wow wow wow! What a great follow up to The history of bees! I think this is a very important read, with a very real seeming future scenario. So well written, have already pre ordered a physical copy (signed editions are available at waterstones) I recommend you do the same!

After reading The History of Bees I was keen to read this next novel. As topical as before, The End of the Ocean looks at the environmental issues we could be facing within our lifetimes if we do not do more to halt global warming. Tackling energy use, plastic consumption, rising tides and greenhouse gases, Lunde transports us to a future (within my lifetime) in which Europeans have become refugees without enough water to survive for long.

Cleverly written with two timelines running through it, the terrifying facts of what our future could be like were written so convincingly that I didn't doubt the plausibility of Lunde's plot at all. An excellent read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book reminded me of The Overstory, by Richard Powers. I hope that's taken as a compliment, because it's certainly meant as one.

There are two stories here, two voices: Signe and David. Signe is maybe Greta Thunberg's older cousin? She can see the beauty and the power of nature, and the risks posed by its destruction. She's prepared to change her life over the issue.

The second story is set later in time. David and Lou are drought refugees, forced to seek shelter in a refugee camp, where resources are limited. At first they're just grateful to be there, but gradually, things deteriorate around them.

So, like Overstory, there's a theme of environmental activism, and a sense of powerlessness for the protagonists. It's a stark reminder that we aren't doing enough. The voices are clear and distinct, and these are real people struggling with real problems and real relationships.

I don't want to give away any spoilers. Thank you, Netgalley, for letting me read this one. It's going to stay with me.

A very thought provoking read especially with climate change being so central in our lives (as it should be) haunting and sometimes difficult reading, this is a wonderful read, just as good a a history of bees, a wonderful read which I highly recommend

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

A great story and tons of food for thought. It's one of those book that are a must read as the climate change is going to affect us all.
The style of writing was amazing and I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The End Of The Ocean was a timely and brilliant novel as Lunde examined what the world would be like if the water just simply disappeared, the weather no longer changeable but hot and arid.
Its structure flitted easily between the past and the present, Signe, the past in 2017, David the future, 2041.
Signe, the young headstrong girl who grew up the daughter of parents with a wide chasm of believes and ethics, a marriage fractured and torn about by the devastating effects the advancement of renewable energy and commercialism had in their native Norway. Signe was the activist, who could see into the future, her Father’s child, a lover of nature and wildlife who resented the erosion of her local glacier and lake. Her’s was also a story of love, one that got away, was ripped apart, yet one in which she never moved on from, one that always stayed within her. I loved her ‘journey’, Lunde’s description of her boat, of the wild and wonderful scenery of Signe’s native Norway, of Signe’s passion and determination.
David, thrown into a future, trying to survive, water scarce, the sun relentless and hot. Here was a young Father, in search of his wife and young son, his daughter Lou his sole responsibility, one that you felt drove his determination to survive. You felt he was a man conflicted, between his love for his wife, but also the need to seek comfort in those that he met, to cast of his responsibilities and to live the life of a young single man. It was their relentless need for water that dominated and the cross over between his life and Signe’s that was the real star of the novel.
You couldn’t help but recoil in horror at what Signe tried to prevent and the devastating consequences that David and the rest of the world had to contend with. It is a world that you just cannot comprehend. That is what I so loved about this novel, Lunde’s capacity to write a story that had elements of danger, tension and drama but also one that was utterly thought provoking and almost real.
Great characters, great narrative and a novel that will raise lots of questions.

This book has very beautiful writing as Lunde's other book. I really like reading from her.
It's also an important book drawing attention to climate change. It's quite thought provoking in that aspect.
The reason I give 4, but not 5 stars is, it was so long and I got really bored with all the sailing references and descriptions. I have no passion for sailing, so that's me.
I also thought it was overly negative.

But, it was a very well written, interesting book in the end and I totally recommend it.

Thanks a lot to the publisher and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.