Clever, funny, thought-provoking, and timely, Burnt Out by Victoria Brookman questions and critiques a critical moment of our world today – the rapidly increasing threat of climate change to the very world around us. Brookman’s prose evocatively captures two key physical spaces in the novel – the lush retreat of the Blue Mountains and the seascape of Point Piper, Sydney – to create a sense of how the effects of climate change affect two very different communities. After losing her Blue Mountains home and everything in it in a devastating fire, writer Calida Lyons delivers a blistering takedown of the government and climate criminals refusing to do anything to help stall the dangerous effects of climate change. In the process of rebuilding her life, Calida is forced to question what part she really wants to play in the battle to save the planet, and find out who she really is in the process. Warm and witty, Burnt Out invites readers to question just what we would be willing to overlook to do the right thing – for ourselves and for the world around us.
Reviewed by Mindful Puzzles Puzzle Editor, Nicole Kennedy.
