Not my favourite but still worth your time

⭑⭑⭑  As much as I wanted to appreciate this story, I couldn't, though it is an appropriate tale for our time centering around the precious element of water and our need to preserve and care for it. But, I failed to really connect with the story as I had Maja Lunde's previous stellar novel, The History of Bees.

In The End of the Ocean we follow Signe, in our current time line of 2019, and also that of David and Lou in 2041, a world in crisis and severe drought. Signe was a scrappy character and continues to fight for what she believes in, the environment, well into her seventies. A real go-getter, this made her interesting but she seemed cold and disconnected. Perhaps the result of a solitary life on Blue, her boat? Taking this into consideration she was the most likeable character and far surpassed David, and even Lou. I simply couldn't warm to the weak David and felt no sympathy for him and Lou, by extension. Though their existence in 2041 was that of a refugee, I still couldn't connect to them as I expected I would. At every turn David made poor choices and was a horrible guardian to Lou, his daughter. Even the climactic moment at the end, that was touching, failed to really reach my heart. Perhaps I am desensitized as a result of extinction rebellion who is currently running amok all over London?!?

Regardless, Maja Lunde's writing remains a real strength and her depiction of the future refugee existence is one we must strive to avoid. If anything it should soften our hearts toward refugees the world over as the future she writes of here is their current state of confusion and difficulty. Not my favorite book by Maja Lunde but certainly worth reading to appreciate the scale of climate change and a future that may await us.