"The Pale" by Liz Williams

Liz Williams paints a haunting picture of the future in "The Pale".  The story throws us into crisis; the narrator's mother washes onto the wintery shore of the poisoned sea, injured and near death.  The father nurtures her back to health, and shares two children with her.  All the while, he fears the sea, dreaming of his own demise beneath the icy waves, fearful of the seal culling — the communal effort he can no longer bring himself to partake in.  And he had terrifying dreams of the curse that rescuing his bride has brought upon him.

Since I'm not familiar with the geography of the British Isles, I read through at least a third of the story before I placed the location in context.  The future world that Williams paints is bleak, but filled with characters with the strength to either adapt to their toxic surroundings or create technology to cope with the problem.  I didn't mind the geographical confusion because I was so engrossed in the story, in the plight of Sula and her mysterious past.  She is a character I instantly sympathized with, and I gobbled the rest of the story in my quest to learn of her fate.   "The Pale" is a story of longing, hope, but mostly of the triumph of the human spirit.  Take off your shoes, slip into a comfortable chair, and savor this story.