- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: Black Swan; New edition edition (2 April 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0552772224
- ISBN-13: 978-0552772228
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.6 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,188,341 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Book Description
Dramatic novel of two people driven to violence by the signs of global warming on their island, with tragic consequences for everyone.
From the Publisher
Dramatic novel of two people driven to violence by the signs of global warming on their island, with tragic consequences for everyone.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"Cold Comfort" is the second novel by Susannah Waters. Set mostly in the far west and north of Alaska, it follows the story of fourteen-year-old Tammy Ongtowasruk. The daughter of two Inupiat Eskimos, Tammy lives in the city of Fairbanks, and is obsessed with the mounting evidence for global warming that she can see in the world around her. In the summer, her father sends her to live with her uncle on the remote island of Shishmaref, where she begins a clandestine relationship with her runaway eco-warrior cousin George. As family life in the Ongtowasruk household begins to break down, Tammy finds herself increasingly isolated, and becomes drawn towards George and the mysterious, dangerous activities with which he is involved.
The author's style is easy to follow, and the simplicity of the prose is well suited to the book's bleak and monotonous settings. Indeed Waters does well to conjure up the sense of an environment vastly different from our own, where - unlike most of the globe - the effects of global warming are already beginning to be felt. The idea of the approaching environmental crisis is woven into the plot without being either heavy-handed or patronising towards the reader, and the incipient effects of climate change on the native way of life are dealt with sensitively. By writing the story in the present tense, the author also highlights that these are issues and events which are taking place in the real world now.
Though the narrative voice is in general quite detached from events, rarely giving us a view of the characters' thoughts, it is largely effective in revealing Tammy as a reserved and largely dispassionate person. Like any teenager she is a much misunderstood character, as well as one full of conflict: she is shown to be highly intelligent yet has dropped out of high school; she cares deeply about rising global temperatures but frequently flies long distances without voicing much concern. As a result it is easy for the reader to relate to this otherwise cold character as she struggles to find her path in a rapidly changing world. More space could have been devoted, however, to the the resolution of her journey, which though fitting for the tone of the book as a whole, feels a little too quick to be entirely satisfactory.
Though not quite a thriller in the traditional sense, "Cold Comfort" nevertheless maintains a feel of unease and tension throughout the story and, everything considered, is a compelling read.
The author's style is easy to follow, and the simplicity of the prose is well suited to the book's bleak and monotonous settings. Indeed Waters does well to conjure up the sense of an environment vastly different from our own, where - unlike most of the globe - the effects of global warming are already beginning to be felt. The idea of the approaching environmental crisis is woven into the plot without being either heavy-handed or patronising towards the reader, and the incipient effects of climate change on the native way of life are dealt with sensitively. By writing the story in the present tense, the author also highlights that these are issues and events which are taking place in the real world now.
Though the narrative voice is in general quite detached from events, rarely giving us a view of the characters' thoughts, it is largely effective in revealing Tammy as a reserved and largely dispassionate person. Like any teenager she is a much misunderstood character, as well as one full of conflict: she is shown to be highly intelligent yet has dropped out of high school; she cares deeply about rising global temperatures but frequently flies long distances without voicing much concern. As a result it is easy for the reader to relate to this otherwise cold character as she struggles to find her path in a rapidly changing world. More space could have been devoted, however, to the the resolution of her journey, which though fitting for the tone of the book as a whole, feels a little too quick to be entirely satisfactory.
Though not quite a thriller in the traditional sense, "Cold Comfort" nevertheless maintains a feel of unease and tension throughout the story and, everything considered, is a compelling read.
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I loved the opening of this book. The voice is quirky and the writing very spare and tight. Control of language and the sense of place were impressive, and the issue of global warming and its consequences, already felt in Alaska, does not overshadow the narrative. But as the book went on I did feel a little shut out of the narrator's head. A lot of the time we don't know what she is thinking or feeling. In that sense it was rather cinematic - visual and active, rather than reflective - and I wouldn't be surprised if it is made into a film. Actors' interpretations might make the characters a little more identifiable with. But definitely worth reading, both for its content and style.
0 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I really wanted to like this book, but after a few pages it gets very boring, there is not a likeable character in it and some very vulgar language really put me off. I suffered through it though. It's a shame as global warming is a very important issue in these days, but his book failed to educate or entertain me.
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