Book Review: Saltcrop

Title: Saltcrop
Author: Yume Kitasei
Length: 384 pages
Genre: Dystopian Fiction

Plot Summary: In a near-future Earth ravaged by rising sea levels and devastating crop blights, two sisters, Skipper and Carmen, must brave dangerous, pirate-infested waters on a desperate rescue mission. They must find their eldest sister, Nora, who vanished while in search of a global agricultural cure. Banding together aboard a small vessel, the sisters navigate a dying yet hauntingly beautiful oceanic world. However, as they draw closer to Nora’s corporate-threatened discoveries, they are forced to confront not only the perilous external landscape but also the fractures within their own family and the unsettling truth of how little they actually know their sister.

Review: This novel has so much potential! The dystopia is vividly and believably imagined, the central problem feels foreboding, and the resilience of the human spirit is woven throughout. It’s a journey of self-discovery that mirrors the massive quest to solve the world’s biggest environmental challenge. I was drawn to the story because I could relate so deeply to pieces of Skipper, Carmen, and Nora. There were moments I felt chills down my spine!

However, despite all the tense buildup to their dangerous seafaring journey, the resolution felt quite rushed and anticlimactic. Perhaps the narrative is trying to remind us that the process and the growth of the journey itself are what truly matter, rather than the destination. But can’t it be both? I’m not an either/or girl. I prefer having both a beautiful journey and a satisfying last page.

Rating: 3.5/5