And what action it was!
I read the first book in the series, ‘Tipping Point’, slightly worried that I wouldn’t remember what’s what. Thankfully, the author prefaced the novel with a summary of events so I had no trouble getting down with the action.
Essie, Cooke’s main character, is back with a vengeance. Completely dedicated to mitigating the effects of man-made climate change, she’s in cahoots with Jack, a chap who’s holed out in Cuba, perfecting a carbon capture prototype. Problem is, Cuba’s about to be consumed by a hurricane – and by that I mean, eradicated. The year is 2040-something and carbon capture is the absolute last resort. It comes as no surprise that Jack’s invention turns into a political football of mammoth proportions with our Essie right in the middle of the game.
So she has to leave her family and the fabulous Seth, one-time priest and now sole parent-in-charge of Willow, their only child. Essie, back to being a target after making a stupid, stupid mistake, has decided to leave her fam in order to protect them. This then entails a split narrative, not only following Essies’ exploits, near death experiences and outright endurance, but Seth’s also – AND their daughter’s. What a creation that four-year-old was! She’s like a mini-Essie, chin out, stubborn, always biting the hand that restrains her. And as if that’s not all, there’s another character POV. Morally ambiguous Kerry, herself caught up in family matters that, in the end, for all of them, wins through in one way or another despite all the politics.
I loved, loved, loved every minute of this novel. Rarely have I come across a narrative that so gripped me from the minute it started with loads of tangible threat to characters you really do care very much about. The reader always sets out to believe all will come right in the end, but somehow this author makes you forget that in a whirlwind of writing, full of relentless verbs and sensual images: stinks, sights, sounds. And pain. Omg the pain! (Essie’s temples throbbed like abscesses – what a corking image!).
Lol. I could go on. Totally on point, this full-on eco- thriller is impeccably researched and completely compelling. Just … go buy it! And while you’re at it, buy the prequel too!
What is there left to lose?
It’s 31st October 2041 in England. On her twenty-fifth birthday, Essie Glass still grieves for her family, killed by a terrorist bomb when she was just sixteen. The signs of humanity and climate in decline are everywhere. Roads and communities crumble, floods and fires blight the landscape, and the sea reclaims the islands of the world. Unconcerned, the government tightens its grip on power with brazen propaganda and brutality.
Still, Essie has built a good life with Seth and their four-year-old daughter, Willow. If only she wasn’t haunted by the events of six years ago, when Alex Langford, corrupt businessman-turned-Prime Minister, tried to kill her to conceal his conspiracy to suppress climate-saving technology.
Essie takes solace in her secret plot to build a new prototype. When tricked into revealing the scheme to powerful enemies, she is forced to abandon her cherished family and run for her life. Her flight drives her into the heart of a resistance movement she never knew existed.
Among the chaos, and in mortal danger, will Essie finally find hope for the future?
Counterpoint is the hotly awaited sequel to Tipping Point, a gripping story of political environmental conspiracy.
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