TWO DEGREES

In Ried’s novel, a young lawyer’s flourishing career lobbying for fossil fuel companies is thrown into question after a climate change–induced flash flood.

Daniel Lazaro grew up in the shadow of environmental disaster after a local mine, where his father worked, tainted the local groundwater. His dad committed suicide after he was blamed for what happened and fired; his mother then “got kind of wacko over some religious leader” and cut Daniel off financially. A sympathetic old family friend, a politician, helped him attend law school, placing him on the path to be picked up by a powerful lobbying firm with conservative clients. Now Daniel spends his days blocking climate-conscious legislation and fighting for the interests of Big Oil. He cares only about providing a comfortable life for his wife, Bree, and young daughter. However, when a sudden flash flood causes the Guadalupe River to overflow its banks, an unthinkable tragedy occurs, and Jack must wrestle with his own culpability. Plagued by immense guilt and a crippling fear of water, Daniel is swayed by an environmental activist to use his political connections to enact positive change, instead of profitable destruction. Can Daniel rise to the challenge? A dark prologue, set one month into the future, effectively creates a sense of dread and begins a silent countdown to disaster. Ried manages to juggle multiple third-person perspectives throughout the novel, telling the story from points of view of Bree and various political players surrounding Daniel, including uncle-like figure Jack Wolford, a U.S. representative; Daniel’s boss, Mr. Pearce; Pearce’s shrewd aide, Haley Bourdain, and others; they all help to develop aspects of Daniel’s personal journey. However, the constant switching between them soon begins to wear thin; each change slows the narrative pace, and sometimes necessitates repeating details of events that readers have already seen. Some of the cast’s more political characters feel like caricatures, as well. Overall, though, the novel is earnest and ambitious in its espousal of climate justice and environmental stewardship.

An intriguing political thriller that doesn’t shy away from difficult topics.