Last House, Jessica Shattuck, author; Maggi-Meg Reed, Mark Bramwell, narrators
It is difficult to review this novel. While it is a heartfelt approach to the saving of the environment, the planet and the many kinds of relationships and temptations we human beings are heir to, as it follows a family and its successive generations, it does not actually solve any of the problems it introduces in any meaningful way, nor does it offer any solutions for us, today. There is still corporate greed, climate change and activism that often goes off the rails and ignored.
One of the main characters, Nick Taylor, is a lawyer working for an oil company. He becomes involved with someone who is working for the CIA. That man enlists him in an effort to bring about regime change in Iran. The intent is to enhance the oil industry, gain influence within it, and enrich those involved. Corporate and government greed are in play. Obviously, oil has become the mainstay in the Middle East, and we are well aware of the changes that have occurred in Iran and its influence in the world of oil.
Then enter the environmentalists and the novel goes off in a different direction, focusing on Taylor’s family and how they and each successive generation works to help to save the planet and the people from the disastrous effects of the oil industry. The story accomplishes little, however, since the activism plays out as it has historically, often having unintended consequences and unwanted violence, while solving little. We are still in the throes of radical climate change and radical approaches to it by activists and the progressive arm of the government. Both the natural world and human beings have become casualties of the process, without producing the intended positive change. The extreme views and approaches are difficult to manage and instead, often produce negative publicity that makes the original purpose unattainable. The fossil fuel industry, managing pregnancies and babies born out of wedlock, race relations, corporate greed, and the Middle East oil controversy, are still major points of contention in society. We are still witnessing what has been called “mostly peaceful” protests that are anything but peaceful, but they generate attention.
This novel is timely, though, since the climate and the environment are still front and center as political concerns. The storms have become more catastrophic in some places and natural events have become more violent. Tornadoes, fires and floods have increased in intensity. From the middle of the 20th century to the first quarter of the 21st, we watch the characters grow in different directions. While the business world ignores the damage the oil industry and corporate greed can cause, the Taylor family does not. In successive generations, they are all involved in some way in protecting the planet.
We have all known someone who has taken a stand to protect the environment, the landscape and the people, and we have all witnessed the unintended consequences of their efforts. How will the various family members fare as time goes by? How will the world?