Welcome back to Back Shelf Saturdays, where I review backlist titles I didn’t get to read when they were first published. I do this every week to ensure I’m reading more than just newly released and forthcoming titles. For my purposes, a backlist title is at least one year past its release date.
This week’s title is The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed. The Annual Migration of Clouds is my second novella by Mohamed, following my read of And What Can We Offer You Tonight last year. She’s such a strong new voice in speculative fiction, and I’m thrilled she has more novellas coming out this year.
| Title: The Annual Migration of Clouds | Author: Premee Mohamed |
| Release Date: Sept. 28, 2021 | Genre: Dystopian / Post-Apocalyptic |
| Publisher: ECW Press | Page Count: 159 |
Synopsis
In post-climate disaster Alberta, a woman infected with a mysterious parasite must choose whether to pursue a rare opportunity far from home or stay and help rebuild her community.
The world is nothing like it once was: climate disasters have wracked the continent, causing food shortages, ending industry, and leaving little behind. Then came Cad, mysterious mind-altering fungi that invade the bodies of the now scattered citizenry. Reid, a young woman who carries this parasite, has been given a chance to get away – to move to one of the last remnants of pre-disaster society – but she can’t bring herself to abandon her mother and the community that relies on her.
When she’s offered a coveted place on a dangerous and profitable mission, she jumps at the opportunity to set her family up for life, but how can Reid ask people to put their trust in her when she can’t even trust her own mind?
Review:
The Annual Migration of Clouds takes place in a world devastated by climate change, which has been a bit of a theme on the blog this week. The story follows Reid, a young woman who lives with her mother in what was once a university building in Alberta, Canada. Reid lives with a disease, Cad, that spread through the world, killing cities in its wake. Cad doesn’t always kill. Sometimes, like in Reid’s case, it just exists in the host’s body, a constant reminder that it could one day erupt and kill. Despite her illness, Reid has become an integral part of her community.
When Reid receives an acceptance letter from Howse University, a place so different from her community it might as well be a myth, she knows it is her time to leave. Before she can begin her trek to Howse, Reid must tell those around her and prepare the community for her absence.
This novella started slow and quiet but grew into a powerhouse of a story. While The Annual Migration of Clouds has a lot to say about climate change, reproductive rights, and our responsibility to the earth, it doesn’t stop there. There’s commentary on friendships, parental relationships, and conversations left unsaid. Chronic illness is heavily explored, and I was so moved by all the on-page conversations and arguments relating to it.
Final Thoughts:
The Annual Migration of Clouds is a must-read if you enjoy literary fiction, speculative novellas, or climate fiction. It’s such a moving, thoughtful story. I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did, but after sitting with the ending for a while, I know this is a 5 star book for me. Its follow-up, We Speak Through the Mountain, comes out on June 18, 2024.
Rating: 5/5 Stars
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