Storm Child

All of Ele Fountain’s novels contain a strong environmental message, but this is never at the expense of the story or characters, instead the message is cleverly woven into the vivid descriptions of the settings and a deeper awareness of the issues  grows for the reader just as it does for the characters. Maya is a mature, capable, surf loving 14-year-old and the Penrose family have always lived by the sea and historically made their living from it. But their beautiful home, on the headland they own, is falling apart and the fish have disappeared as a result of industrial overfishing. Desperation causes Maya’s father to take risks and a storm takes his boat, the life of his crewman and very nearly his own life.  Things have to change, and her parents decide not to take the easy option of selling the headland to developers, but to start a new life on an island paradise. Maya is full of doubts but powerless. The island seems idyllic at first but far from her friends, surfing and her beloved home, Maya can’t settle. She feels lonely and so homesick and she is beginning to lose confidence in her parent’s planning. The depiction of nuanced relationships with friends and family capture that liminal period of growing independence particularly well.  Things improve when a very tentative friendship starts to form with Kalani, who introduces Maya to sailing on the island’s traditional hand-built boats. This is an experience which matches the thrill of surfing.  But Kalani also gradually reveals the darker side of paradise and the horrible truth about human impact on the natural world and how it can spread from one side of the world to another.  Plastic in the oceans, beaches covered in rubbish, drifting fishing nets strangling wildlife and, here too, building developments which  are threatening the very habitats that attract the visitors. Then one day it is Maya who take risks in the face of an impending storm.  She pushes Kalani to go out one afternoon, things take a turn for the worse and they end up injured and stranded. Together they have to find a way to save each other and themselves. This experience empowers Maya to find her voice and for the family to reset their priorities. Another compelling read which gives the reader much to think about and want to discuss.