Just as she did in 2014’s warmly received “Dept. “Weather” is short on plot, long on research culled across millennia. So down the Earth’s soil-eroded rabbit hole Lizzie tumbles, soon finding it difficult to respond to letters about the coming chaos with the “obligatory note of hope.” And, like all of us beleaguered humans, in addition to worrying about the planet she must also worry about her life - Eli’s test score, Ben’s happiness, Henry’s sobriety, that painful click in her knee, the acceleration of days, the inevitability of death, and so much more. The story gets going when her former prof, Sylvia, an environmental activist, enlists Lizzie to answer emails from listeners to her podcast, Hell and High Water, all of whom, she explains, are “crazy or depressed.” Lizzie is a university librarian (indeed, a “feral librarian,” without an appropriate degree), mother (of curious Eli), wife (of computer-coder Ben, a classics PhD) and sister (of needy Henry, a recovering addict). She has made grappling with the climate crisis not only important and challenging - but also, a tough assignment, entertaining. Author Jenny Offill has achieved the near impossible. If you have been paying attention this week, you know that the chattering classes are chattering a lot about this book, a novel about - of all things! - the environment. They’re creating a lot of buzz - but are the books everyone’s talking about (and buying) worth your reading time and money?

Weather jenny offill review