Love in the Time of Global Warming

Starred review from May 27, 2013
A post-apocalyptic setting awash with danger brings an exhilarating twist to Block’s signature mashup of rock-and-roll urchins and high literature. After an earthquake and tidal wave destroy much of Los Angeles, Penelope—now going by Pen—sets out to find her family. In the course of a journey that explicitly parallels the one described in Homer’s Odyssey, Pen navigates the blighted landscape with a crew of three other searchers. Sharing shards of their pasts with one another, the travelers form strong new relationships—including a romance between Pen and tough Hex, who has the word “heartless” tattooed above his heart, and whose sexual journey fits neatly with Pen’s. Eventually they arrive in Las Vegas (the contemporary stand-in for the land of the dead) where Pen confronts the evil genius behind her world’s destruction. Literary-minded readers will enjoy teasing out the allusions to Homer—and possibly even The Wizard of Oz—but knowledge of the classics is not a requirement to be swept up in the tatterdemalion beauty of the story’s lavish, looping language. Ages 14–up. Agent: Laurie Liss, Sterling Lord Literistic.

June 1, 2013
Block's latest can't decide if it's allegory, tribute or classical fairy tale. Is Penelope the last person left alive in the world? The floodwaters that slammed through her Los Angeles neighborhood took her mother, father, brother and even her dog. While she journeys across the ravaged land, myth-loving readers--such as Penelope herself, who reads Ovid for fun and tells her friends stories about "Odysseus, Aeneas, and Achilles"--might notice familiar themes. (Despite the title's nod to Garcia Marquez, the direct Homeric references dominate.) Penelope blinds a one-eyed giant in a chapter called "The Cyclops," escaping by calling herself "Nobody." In the Lotus Hotel, she meets addicts high on euphoric juice squeezed from flower petals. The parallels to The Odyssey become even more obvious when Penelope meets a sexy young man in black motorcycle boots whose favorite book is The Odyssey itself and who entertains Penelope by reading from the section of Homer's epic about the Lotus Eaters. The continuing allusions, sometimes explicitly remarked upon by Penelope and the fellow adventurers she gathers along the way, are unsubtle but not entirely clear. But that may not matter so much: Block's trademark magical realism works best in a brief, dreamy journey such as this one, even if the destination is uncertain. Mishmash or no, there's something encouraging about seeing four queer kids on an epic journey across the post-apocalyptic American Southwest. (Fantasy. 14 & up)

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August 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-The earth shakes, a wall of water comes, and everyone Penelope loves disappears, leaving her alone. She can see nothing but ruins around her pink house by the sea in Los Angeles. Her family was swept away by the water. Her father had warned of impending danger, and though her mother thought he was paranoid, his emergency provisions keep Pen alive. Weeks later, men break into her house, but Pen escapes with their van. She sets off on an Odyssey-like journey in search of her family. On the way, she encounters giants, sirens, a witch, a girl who may be magical, and companions to aid her in her quest. Through flashbacks, she reveals that she had been struggling with feelings for one of her closest girlfriends. Now, as she, Hex, Ez, and Ash speed toward Las Vegas, Pen finds strength she's never known and love she didn't expect. Pen is a thoughtful character who develops at a reasonable pace. Her flashbacks reveal a close family, good friends, and love for her younger brother. The dreamlike quality of the writing, typical of the author's works, functions well with the fantastical elements of the story, which is solid and dense in its descriptions. This is an excellent title for students who have read Homer's Odyssey as well as readers who enjoy a mix of fantasy and reality.-Kelly Jo Lasher, Middle Township High School, Cape May Court House, NJ

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
Grades 7-12 Los Angeles has been destroyed by the Earth Shaker and the disastrous flood that followed. Pen's family has vanished in the wake of the two-pronged catastrophe, and after narrowly escaping death herself, Pen has set off to find them. But could they possibly still be alive? Most of those who survived the apocalypse have been eaten by a genetically engineered race of giants that have mysteriously appeared following the disaster. But not all humans have perished. Pen soon meets three solitary boys who join her on her odysseyand, yes, the story is inspired by Homer's epic. The giants, for example, evoke the Cyclopes; a former soap opera star turned witch is Circe; and there are also sirens, lotus eaters, and more. This framing device is surprisingly successful, in part, because Block doesn't adhere too slavishly to her conceit. The result is original and, no surprise, gracefully written. Magic is no stranger to Block's world, nor is her signature poetic sensibility. And love, in its many varieties and forms, is celebrated, as always. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Block's enormous all-ages fan base will already have this preordered, but an extensive marketing campaign will likely bring in new followers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2014
In this [cf2]Odyssey[cf1]-inspired story, after the devastating Earth Shaker, Penelope sets out into the brutal Los Angeles landscape in search of her family. She meets an intriguing boy named Hex who joins her on her journey. Block's imagery is remarkable in this sophisticated melding of post-apocalyptic setting, re-imagined classic, and her signature magical realism.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2013
After the devastating Earth Shaker, Penelope sets out into the brutal Los Angeles landscape in search of her beloved family. Both Block's imagining of this story and her protagonist's quest are inspired by the Odyssey -- Pen blinds an eye of a monster and stops at the Lotus Hotel inhabited by blissfully intoxicated survivors, where an intriguing boy named Hex reads to her from his copy of Homer's epic; Hex joins her on the journey, and the pair often consults the tattered book, cognizant of parallels as they carry on. After picking up two other teens, the group continues through the ruins to Las Vegas for a climactic coming-together of the plot's many complex elements. Despite the story's driving force of survival, it is also about these characters' connections -- love that transcends gender and circumstance. Every step of the way, Block's imagery is remarkable, aided by the intellectual narrator's direct references not only to Homer but also to art: "The creatures, with their shadowed eyes and sunken mouths, and the slabs of raw meat hanging from hooks, remind me of the Francis Bacon painting. . ." The juxtapositions, too, are pulled off flawlessly: the disgusting, deathly, anxious, and devastating are, improbably -- through Pen's astute eyes -- also beautiful, lively, serene, and hopeful. Block achieves these and other heroic literary feats in this sophisticated melding of post-apocalyptic setting, re-imagined classic, and her signature magical realism. katrina hedeen

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)