This was one of the best books I read this year. A moving, inspirational story which addresses a future in which humanity has managed to reach net zero carbon emissions worldwide. The question is, how does the generation after deal with this new world?

This book was good, but I giving it an extra star because it mentions U2 in the first sentence. So, that is an extra bonus from me!!

The framework about how the climate apocalypse was averted and how activism and mutual aid created a new society was really ingenious, well done, and convincing. Unfortunately I really didn’t love the narrative, plot, and characters - it read like a YA, I didn’t feel that anyone was especially likeable, particularly the mom, and the use of an eating disorder as a plot device was really puzzling. I feel like it might have been actually well described from the character’s subjective experience but it seemed Ana-ish and anyway didn’t serve any purpose in driving plot or character.

A utopian story, based in the near future, after a world changing climate crisis. Told from 2 points of view. One, the point of view of Larch, a Dad, who lived through the challenging times of "The Great Transition". The other view, his daughter Emi, who was born after the crisis. We learn about life during the crisis from Larch but also through interviews Emi had with her mother for a school project.

This small family was at the core of this story, but there was also a political element. Given the state the world is in currently, I found this story very interesting and somewhat alarming. It does kind of pose the question of who is responsible for stopping climate change and are we responsible for the world we leave for future generations.

The story was a little repetitive in parts which, at times, made it a little boring, but at its core it was well written and certainly felt like something that could potentially happen one day soon.

Thank You NetGalley and Atria Book for the free e-galley.

3.5 stars. Dystopian fiction is one of my favorite genres. I loved everything about this book except for the character Emi. The winey teenager is too much.

2.5 stars, rounded up because I really did enjoying the beginning of the book!

The Great Transition started out strong (I’m a sucker for fresh takes on climate change dystopian/speculative fiction). Unfortunately it didn’t stay strong. The story felt too long while also trying to be too many things: dystopian, family drama, thriller…. The thriller aspect could likely be dropped from the story completely and the story would still work (albeit with a few minor ends to tie up) which tells me it was superfluous. I found the flashbacks a little too slow-paced and repetitive, although I did enjoy learning about how we got to the current situation. A really interesting, fresh concept, but sadly the execution just didn’t do it for me.

[I received an ALC from the publisher via Libro]

I was reading the book on a flight when the pilot asked what it was about and upon replying "the climate crisis" he responded, "oh that sounds boring." And that, dear fellow readers, is exactly why this book hits terrifyingly close to home and, in my option, makes it an absolute must-read.
The Great Transition addresses more than just the potential future of our planet, though, but focuses on a family - parents: Kristina & Larch (both climate fighters/protectors who played great roles in saving the planet) and their daughter, Emi, who's battling anxiety and an (mostly unaddressed) eating disorder while constantly being told how lucky she is to have the planet she's on and how much worse everything could be. As a millennial who's still constantly told that I have no leg to stand on in complaining about 7% home mortgage rates when my parents faced much higher and so-on-and-so-forth in the buck-up-buttercup, you've-got-it-good narrative, I totally related to Emi's frustration. Just because things are better doesn't mean people can't still feel bad. At her core, though, Emi really seemed to crave knowledge and cling to the nostalgia of her parents beautiful romance in the midsts of global disaster, and I deeply felt that as well.
I must say, though, that this book, at least the arc, was confusing. The lack of quotation around dialogue made me re-read a lot and the constantly jumping from POV and time periods had me questioning where I was at in the story often. A little more organization would have made this book more recommendable for me, but as-is I fear it may go over some heads. Still excellent and thought-provoking.