Snowflake, AZ

Starred review from August 19, 2019
In a note to readers, Sedgwick (Saint Death) cites his own bout with a “disputed” chronic illness as an inspiration for this cautionary tale. Eighteen-year-old Ash is shocked to learn that his brother, Bly, has dropped out of the police academy in San Francisco. In search of answers, Ash follows him to Snowflake, Ariz., and discovers that Bly is sick with an environmental illness. He, like others suffering from various forms of chemical and/or electromagnetic sensitivities, has found refuge and camaraderie in the isolated town. When Ash also falls ill with the disease and joins the community, he learns firsthand what it is like to have an ailment that most of the public, including medical professionals, believe is “all in his head.” Throughout, Sedgwick offers musings by educated community members (including philosophy professor Mona, engineer Detlef, and cave-dwelling scientist Polleux) on a number of topics, for example epigenetics (how diseases, stress, and toxins can change genes) and the biological roots of kindness. Framed as a memoir narrated by a much older, wiser Ash, this raw, deeply philosophical tale leaves readers with a timely, sobering message about how humankind’s treatment of the environment impacts the environment’s treatment of humankind. Ages 13–up.

MW Cartozian Wilson narrates this young adult parable about the potential dangers of the modern environment. Ash isn't sure what to expect when he arrives in Snowflake, Arizona, in search of his missing brother, Bly. What Ash finds is a community of people living with chronic illness, possibly caused by the chemicals present all around them. Wilson's narration is somewhat flat, the monotone reflecting Ash's muted feelings about becoming a part of Snowflake. Ash's dialogue is rendered with unusual grammar, which appears and disappears throughout the novel without consistency. Listeners may find this aspect of the production frustrating, but Wilson gamely works to create a picture of a young person who is searching earnestly for answers and the meaning of human life in the face of its possible destruction. N.M. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine