America Pacifica by Anna North

I discovered North with her latest book, Outlawed, because, of course, how can you resist female outlaws. And then our library went and got her back catalog, so, naturally, I wanted to read more.
This novel was actually North’s debut and it’s pretty awe inspiring to find out that she was this good right out of the gate. I’m not sure why I’ve never heard of America Pacifica until now, considering how much I love postapocalyptic fiction and dystopias…I’m certainly glad to have found it, though, because it was absolutely excellent.
And I’m also not sure why this book doesn’t have higher ratings. For my money, it had all you’d want in a novel…a compelling protagonist, a fascinating scenario, sociopolitical relevance, clever plotting, suspense, intrigue, terrific world building, gorgeous vivid cinematic descriptions.
I mean, to be honest, the relatively low ratings and the lead’s youth (Darcy’s 18) made me somewhat apprehensive initially, but as soon as the first few pages cast their magic spell, all the apprehension vanished and it became abundantly obvious that this is as mature and as excellent of a book as I’d hoped it’d be. Darcy is a teenager by definition, there’s teen in her age, but the life she’d led has aged her beyond her years.
In fact, life on America Pacifica isn’t easy for most of its denizens, but, since for all they know it is the only viable alternative, it’s still infinitely preferable to the deadly permanent winter of the mainland. Because that’s how the AP’s world ended and because climate change is real and one day in the near future the people have had their choices severely circumscribed…stay, adapt and learn to live or leave for somewhere warmer and start over.
And because almost no one ever learns and fewer still do so from their own mistakes, they left and recreated the old world on a microscale, complete with an ecological crises and a staggering economic divide all of their own making.
Major credit to North for getting this (among many other things, including the psychology of revolution) so very right. It’s nice to read an author who exhibits such a profound understanding of the inner mechanisms of the population at large and can scale it down so well to create a terrifyingly plausible reality of the near future.
And so it is this world that should have but never was the tropical island paradise it was meant to be that Darcy has to navigate in search of her beloved mother, her only family, who mysteriously disappears one day. She’ll search every social stata, every corner of the place if she has to and her dedication, her relentlessness, her courage will inspire a great change in a place that’s literally dying for one.
I know everyone loves movie comparisons, so as far as those go, Darcy essentially starts off as JLaw’s Ree Dolly (Winter’s Bone) and ends up Katniss Everdeening her way to the top. No archery involved…lamentably. But all in all, you gotta agree, a pretty awesome journey. It is a quest novel in a way, a personal odyssey, an adventure, a tale of survival, even a coming of age girl meets world sort of thing. Darcy’s life initially is something of a safe cocoon lovingly created by her mother, a world made for two, one severely affected by privation, but comfortable enough. But then once on her own, Darcy becomes a force to reckon with, a juggernaut on a mission.
So anyway, I can continue singing this book’s praises, but it’s difficult to avoid giving away some of the plot, so I’ll just round this off by saying….read this book. It’s so good, so clever, so well imagined. So well written. Such a terrific blend of sci fi, dystopia and literary fiction. It says all the right things about this world and imagines all the right things about that one. America Pacifica is as memorable of an island trip as your armchair might take you on. Recommended.