A SEASON UNKNOWN

A boy with a mysterious connection to animals grows up to become a messenger—warning about the dangers of climate change—in this debut novel.

Having recently moved to a remote part of the Northeast with her preacher husband, isolated and anxious Judith Walker begins to notice strange qualities in her adventurous son, Malach. He can sense weather patterns; he never loses his way in the forest; and he can communicate with animals, all of whom seem supernaturally drawn to him. Over time, more people in their small community learn of Malach’s gifts, including curmudgeonly hermit Roger Stine and Malach’s spunky girlfriend, Ginny Lucette. As he becomes a teenager, Malach’s powers grow, and he is gripped by an intense premonition: If nothing is done, and if people don’t radically change their lives, climate change will decimate the planet. Then Roger dies and leaves Malach with a substantial fortune. He and Ginny use this as the catalyst to embark on a mission to spread Malach’s message in an attempt to save the world. Cohen’s novel moves at a slow and meditative pace, delivering lush, detailed descriptions of the natural world. At times, this pace adds to the dreamy, prophetic quality of Malach’s life. Yet it can also feel stagnating, especially when interpersonal conflicts that could make for thrilling drama are smoothed over with an abundance of lengthy, almost overly rational conversations. Characters are well realized with relatable feelings and doubts, and when the tale focuses on Malach’s relationships with them, the prose echoes with tenderness and pathos. Although some readers will connect deeply with Malach’s pure conservationist ethos, the book’s approach to this can at times feel preachy and even oversimplified as he and his followers espouse the belief that personal responsibility alone is both the basis and cure for climate catastrophe. While rightfully championing the safety of animals and ecosystems, the story feels a bit incomplete. Malach’s crusade seems uninterested in the human cost of climate change that is actively plaguing the world at this moment and the systemic structures that have been erected by those in power to keep people dependent on the very mechanisms that harm them and the planet.

A contemplative, if uneven, cli-fi tale that asks readers to examine their global connections.