Flatiron Books, May 24, 2016.
Three Stars
Once every century, the water around a small island
in the Pacific Northwest glows green, caused by tiny sea creatures called Artemia Lucis. The miniscule arthropods
complete their lifecycle in six short days, and their occurrence becomes known
as “The 100 Year Miracle.” Ream’s new novel is set in the fictional Olloo’et
Bay, within the actual San Juan Islands. Olloo’et Island is the traditional
home of the First Nations people who share its name – although they have mostly
disappeared, those that remain feel honour and respect towards the Miracle. The
scientists that have invaded the island, however, do not all come with pure
intentions.
Rachel is one of these scientists. She has travelled
to the island as part of a team of specialists, working long days and nights to
study the phenomenon before it disappears again. She also has ulterior motives:
struggling with chronic pain due to a childhood injury, Rachel sets up her own
secret laboratory to study the creatures, seeking a miracle cure for herself
and others like her. However, one of her colleagues is suspicious of her
secrecy – he is an Olloo’et man named John, and his goal is to protect the
island’s habitat. John’s people believe that the Artemia Lucis do have healing powers, but that they can also
destroy those who consume them.
Meanwhile, Henry and Tilda are a divorced couple who
are once again living together in a beach house on the bay – Tilda has moved
back in to care for Henry as he suffers from a fatal and debilitating disease.
The couple separated partly due to the death of their young daughter, and being
together in their family home again brings back many memories. When Henry sees
Rachel on the beach, he transfers his fatherly feelings onto her (she is around
the age his daughter would have been, had she survived). When he spontaneously
offers his house to Rachel during her short stay, she agrees to move in – it will
be easier to hide her secret lab if she is separated from the rest of the team.
Before Henry realizes what is happening, he finds
himself drawn into Rachel’s obsessive research, and the two experience the
hallucinogenic side effects of the “miracle cure.” There could be a rational
explanation, but according to local mythology, the Artemia Lucis is a channel for one’s deceased ancestors to pull the
users to the other side. Science or supernatural – we as readers do not know
for sure. In fact, I was expecting the novel to take more of a supernatural/horror
turn, but instead it followed the path towards more typical thriller territory,
as Rachel faces imminent discovery of her unusual research methods.
I found Tilda to be the most relatable and likeable character.
She gave up her political career to care for her ex-husband, despite the fact
that she can’t help blaming him at least partially for their daughter’s death.
While caring for Henry, she finds a new passion for sailing and a romance with
a much younger man. While both burn her in the end, she develops greatly as a
character, instead of getting lost in false hope like Rachel and Henry.
As the novel heads towards its conclusion, situations
become increasingly contrived. The supposed suspense didn’t really work for me,
so the thriller aspect of the novel kind of fizzled out. What I liked more was
the development of the characters, and I wish Ream had remained focused on
them. I also don’t see this as fitting into the “unreliable narrator” genre,
because we know Rachel’s intentions from the start. There were several
unresolved issues, and the characters’ actions weren’t always realistic, but I was
steadily drawn into the story and found it very entertaining.
I received this novel from Flatiron Books and
NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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