“Spindrifts” by A-M Mawhiney

What if the series of plagues wiped out the majority of the population? What if all the technological progress and advanced research couldn’t help find the cure? Which path would people choose?

According to A-M Mawhiney, people would turn back to nature and try to help the Earth heal. “Spindrifts” is a fascinating exploration of the effects dramatic events can have on the established lifestyle.

After it becomes clear that pandemics won’t stop, and one devastating wave will follow another, until humans go extinct, a group of people gather to search for a solution to stop the plagues and give the inhabitants of our planet a chance to survive. And thus, the Earth Project begins. Its aim is to return to the roots when people hadn’t yet started polluting the air, the soil, and themselves by producing more and more goods and spreading hate based on individual characteristics.

Fania and Nuna were born after the rage of the plagues had already subsided to an occasional outbreak here and there. Still, they know no other way to live other than in the shadow of acknowledging the risk of getting infected. All their everyday routines are designed around preventing getting sick. Decontamination protocols are still in place. Entering not only public places but even your own home, you have to go through the decontamination procedures. Moreover, interactions with people outside your own household are strictly limited.

I loved the way the author immerses readers in the everyday life of people living in the Land of Hope. The readers are led through the decontamination procedures, greeting visitors protocols, family meals, and walks in the wilderness – and it makes one feel as if transported right into the heart of the Land of Hope. I also enjoyed the family dynamics between the members of the extended family who are the main characters of the story. I found the concept of four generations living under one roof extremely intriguing. It made me remember my own family back when I was little. We didn’t live together, but my mom’s sisters’ families travelled to each other often and stayed for weeks. It was a wonderful time I always remember with warmth. Mom’s sisters were very close and not only in terms of sharing secrets with each other. They always supported each other in practical matters as well. I realise that not every family is like this; still, I believe that the model of sticking together works better than breaking down into tiny family units. The ties between strong families are often what help their members stay afloat during harsher times.

In the Land of Hope, everyone is required to contribute to the Earth Project. The stress is put on helping you find your true calling by uncovering your talents during the process called Immersion. Teenagers spend two years away from their families in an environment that is supposed to help them unleash their potential. Both Fania and Nuna don’t fit in the established pattern. Besides, Fania returns from Immersion with a warning she doesn’t know how to share with her younger sister. Some things she saw during Immersion made her doubt that everything is as the Earth Project leaders present it. Considering that her own family is at the very top of the project, it makes the girl’s life even more complicated.

Fania’s thoughts upon her return home are in disarray. Unlike everyone else, who gets a placement somewhere else to practice their talent discovered during Immersion, she is supposed to spend this time at home, under the supervision of her own grandmother. Even though Alicia is a true matriarch of the big family, it isn’t what Fania imagined her life would be after Immersion. Besides, she finds out that her heroic granny, who has spent her whole life trying to save Earth and its people, has some sinister secrets she kept from almost everyone.

“Spindrifts” by A-M Mawhiney is a book that sweeps the readers away and places them into a completely different reality. It makes you muse about vital things, doubt what is considered right, and with incredulity discover that quite a few things generally viewed as wrong are an integral part of a happy life.