Whether Violent or Natural

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This book takes place in a post-apocalyptic scenario in which antibiotic-resistant superbacteria have evolved which can eat through any and all plastics as well as being deadly and contagious, a combination which swiftly destroyed humans and their society at the same time. Kit, our POV character, was all alone on her island for a long time before Crevan came along and changed her lonely world. But after Crevan rescues a drowning woman from the ocean, everything changes. bones of an interesting story - dystopian chaos future where a superbug has left a woman and a man to their own on an island. enter (on the tides) a floating mystery body. Contrary to what I’ve seen from other reviewers, I really enjoyed the main character’s narration in this dystopia-survival novel. It’s not a style for all readers, but you’ll appreciate it if - like me - you enjoy feeling like you’re in the protagonist’s head viewing the events through their lens. Since Kit is an unreliable narrator, their observations are tainted by their palpable but unknown past trauma. For me the surface level story was arresting enough, the suspense sparingly sufficient to move me, occasionally grudgingly though usually willingly, through the read. In fiction, not every apocalypse is apocalypse wow. It’s what you’re hoping for, looking for, but not all apocalypses are imagined equal. This one, was imagined well, alarmingly so, and even spun around into a neat twist in the end but getting there was as slog.

Experimental fiction . . . Calder tells a unique tale that will appeal to many cli-fi fans.” – Library Journal I hate being negative when I write a review, but I also need to be honest. This is one of the oddest books I’ve read. I have read many dystopian books, and this just didn’t hit the mark for me. Throughout, I kept the manuscript private: a secret between me and Kit. I didn’t show it to – or discuss it with – anyone. I needed all possible versions of it to exist simultaneously, and I knew that if I so much as talked through the plot, I’d fix it into a single, non-viable form and that would be that. Calder is an intensely lyrical writer whose passages in another form might be read as prose poetry. While there are moments of great brilliance in her prosaic style, the claustrophobia of the relentlessly dense work means they are seldom given room to breathe. The cumulative effect reads as self-indulgent on the part of the author who becomes a victim of her own writerly talent by over-cooking it. Less would definitely have been more. For those drawn to this novel for its premise, looking to inhabit this dystopian world and understand how it works, these eloquent but elongated musings will be difficult to wade through. If you are attracted, however, by the thought of luxuriating inside the mind of an intelligent, verbose narrator who articulates her observations and reflections in minute detail, then Kit is the protagonist for you. With “Whether Violent or Natural,” author Natasha Calder has given us a dystopian novel about the end of humanity. While I admired some of her expressive, even lyric prose, I also thought the book burdened by a number of problems and inconsistencies. All in all, it’s not the best dystopian novel I’ve ever read.There’s a quality to the narrative too, like it’s all one long freeform poem. Very lyrical, but also…too much so. For a book it’s supposed to be, anyway. Polyethylene terephthalate was welcomed as a miracle invention; cheap, durable, light. Good old plastic. But the savior turned out to be a leviathan in disguise, threatening to suffocate the earth due to the very characteristics that were once regarded as benefits. A solution arrived in the form of plastic eating bacteria, unfortunately metamorphosing into a usurper when rogue antibiotic resistant bacteria evolve and mutate. Mankind is helpless in the face of medical threats resurrected from the past: syphilis, tuberculosis, cholera, tetanus, bubonic plague, pneumonia, septicemia. Infrastructure and medical and household appliances are destroyed when all plastic components are consumed in a bacterial feeding frenzy. What is left of humanity is less than human; constantly fighting for survival. Tantalizing prose carries what is essentially a cautionary tale about unintended consequences; Calder is worth watching.” – Kirkus An unconscious woman washes ashore on the island where 'Kit' and Crevan dwell in isolation and safety from an, ostensibly, savage post apocalyptic outside world. Drama unfolds from there.

I really wanted to like this book. Some of its passages will stay with me for a very long time; it carries a lyrical resonance that reminded me of being caught in a daydream, contemplating all kinds of metaphors for life. The book’s narrator Kit is incredibly insightful and sharp in her observations on post-apocalyptic life and scarily enough, some of these observations are useful for everyday life too. Gripping, treacherous and visceral, Whether Violent or Natural is an unforgettably dark and strikingly original work by a major new talent.

Sly, sharp, and utterly captivating, Whether Violent or Natural tumbles headlong toward its surprising – yet inevitable – end. Calder’s voice is one I won’t soon forget.” – Rory Power, New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls One of the novel's strengths lies in the captivating voice of the narrator, a young woman living on the island. Her narrative style is archaic and poetic, drawing readers into her story. However, her reliability and the coherence of her tale are questionable, as she withholds crucial information about her past and the reasons for her presence on the island. This ambiguity adds intrigue but also leaves readers wondering if her account can be trusted. I think this novel can prompt lots of discussion, but readers should be aware that this is not your standard trope-y YA dystopian novel. Instead, if you like lyrical prose, slow building tension, and the psychology of trauma, give this book a try. At times I felt information was dropped like stone, or maybe an avalanche. Here, the guise of narration in the MC's voice grew too thin. if i had a penny for every useless word in here i would be reading my next book on a throne of pennies, inside my house made of pennies on the slopes of Penny Mountain.