Local book review: 'Deadout'
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
The term "eco-thriller" might cue images of mutant jungle plants overtaking the planet, but thankfully Jon McGoran's newest book, Deadout, keeps things a little more low-key.
Deadout
Jon McGoran
(Forge, 2014, 400 pp.)
The term “eco-thriller” might cue images of mutant jungle plants overtaking the planet, but thankfully Jon McGoran’s newest book, Deadout, keeps things a little more low-key.
The novel follows job-shaken detective Doyle Carrick as his ties to the organic farming movement expose him to the politically and biologically ugly side of GMOs. Colony Collapse Disorder, a very real problem facing contemporary beekeepers, takes a central role as the industry-threatening mystery facing a group of scientists and farmers.
The book’s greatest strength lies in how it weaves environmental concern over GMO food sources into a suspenseful plotline without becoming science fiction. McGoran starts with a tiny member of the food cycle, the honeybee, and allows his critique of the farming industry to grow from there. The novel’s scientific developments are timely, and by incorporating a main character who’s not a hardcore activist, McGoran keeps the preachiness away.
Deadout follows up McGoran’s also GMO-anxious Drift, released to solid reviews in 2013. Both novels begin in Philadelphia but quickly move to more rural areas. Most of Deadout takes place on the environmental haven of Martha’s Vineyard. McGoran’s obvious familiarity with the island lends colorful (if, at times, bordering on promotional) detail to the menacing storyline.
McGoran’s story falls into some predictable tropes, but despite the clichés of genre, the novel delivers on suspense and a complex storyline. Its lesser-known but still eco-centric honeybee premise lends credibility without drilling too far into politics: No one wants to read another global warming apocalypse novel.
Launch party Aug. 6, 6 p.m., Morris Arboretum
