So hi! Naomi again, popping into your reader with my first book review! I apologize in advance if this review isn’t the best one ever, I have 0 experience… but I’m going to try my best!
Anyway, I’ve been reading some of HOW TO CHANGE EVERYTHING (a climate change nonfiction book), and trying to get some of the cli-fi books that Maeve recommended in one of her posts (check those out here 😉 ), but I was looking through the website of one of my favorite authors, Jodi Lynn Anderson, and discovered this book. Midnight at the electric is cli-fi, multiple POVs, AND by Jodi Lynn Anderson? YES PLEASE. So anyway, I hurried over to overdrive (my library’s system for getting ebooks) and searched this up. It was there! So, I began reading. And well… since it IS cli-fi, I thought maybe I’d do a review on here. So, hope you enjoy!
Title: Midnight At The Electric
Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson
Format: Ebook
Synopsis:
Divided by time. Ignited by a spark.
Kansas, 2065. Adri has secured a slot as a Colonist—one of the lucky few handpicked to live on Mars. But weeks before launch, she discovers the journal of a girl who lived in her house over a hundred years ago, and is immediately drawn into the mystery surrounding her fate. While Adri knows she must focus on the mission ahead, she becomes captivated by a life that’s been lost in time…and how it might be inextricably tied to her own.
Oklahoma, 1934. Amidst the fear and uncertainty of the Dust Bowl, Catherine fantasizes about her family’s farmhand, and longs for the immortality promised by a professor at a traveling show called the Electric. But as her family’s situation becomes more dire—and the suffocating dust threatens her sister’s life—Catherine must find the courage to sacrifice everything she loves in order to save the one person she loves most.
England, 1919. In the recovery following the First World War, Lenore struggles with her grief for her brother, a fallen British soldier, and plans to sail to America in pursuit of a childhood friend. But even if she makes it that far, will her friend be the person she remembers, and the one who can bring her back to herself?
While their stories spans thousands of miles and multiple generations, Lenore, Catherine, and Adri’s fates are entwined.
–Goodreads
*I’ve done my best here to make this review spoiler-free, so you can read it before reading the book*
The book’s idea is pretty amazing. The main narrative is of Adri, a girl from the future, who discovers writings from 2 girls from the past. She finds the journal of Catherine, a 16-year-old farm girl living during the dust bowl, and letters from Lenore to Beth, two friends separated by WW1. The 3 girls are related in a familial way, and it’s really interesting. Adri’s journey is very much affected by the other 2, and all of the girls are really relatable! Plus, I mean, it’s split- POV, and I LOVE split-POV writing.
*ahem* AND GALAPAGOS! Galapagos is a tortoise, who was past down from each of these families. She makes an appearance in all the narratives.
Anywho, I want to give each of the stories a section in this review, so that I can rant about each one! 😉
“I think all my life my heart’s been broken,” Adri whispered, “and I didn’t even notice. And I don’t even know by what”
Midnight At The Electric
Adri is a girl (I’m not sure her age) living in the future, where climate change has destroyed her home, for the most part. The future aspect isn’t touched on as much, it’s mostly about ADRI. She’s an orphan, and grew up in community homes. She’s going to stay with a 105-year-old cousin whom she had no idea existed until now, until she leaves for Mars in 30 days.
At the beginning, Adri is just a standoffish character who wants to go to Mars, and do her best to get there. But as the launch grows nearer, she starts to doubt going, as she grows closer to Lily (her cousin), and discovers the letters and journal. I love how she changes, how she WANTS to change nearer to the end. While her end of the narrative took me a while to get into, in the end I was really invested in Adri.
*the following quote has a sorta-spoiler, but not really*
“Do you think I can change?” She finally asked.
Midnight At The Electric
Lily looked at her, curious and thoughtful. “Well,” She replied, “Are you dead?”
“I wonder if sometimes you can miss something so much it breaks you, and still be happy you left”
Midnight at the electric
Catherine’s story was probably my favorite. I personally think it was the most quotable part, and her story and character were pretty amazing.
Catherine lives during the dust bowl, on a farm with her family. But her little sister, Beezie, has dust pneumonia, and her mom refuses to leave. Worried, she has to choose between her farm and the boy she loves (Ellis) and leaving to spare her sister’s life. Catherine is such a strong and sweet character, and the bond that she has with Beezie is amazing.
All of the 3 are leaving, or choosing between leaving and staying: Adri is (probably) going to leave earth for Mars, Catherine is thinking about leaving her farm, family, and the dust. And Lenore is leaving England for America so she can live with her friend.
But, I think that Catherine probably has the hardest choice, and her leaving (or not leaving) is a really good plot line. I admire Catherine, and I love her character! 🙂
HowEVER, this section of the book, to me, read a bit too… historical-fiction ish, if that makes sense? The way that Catherine speaks, it’s just not my style of reading. I did like it though!
“When you’re trying to protect someone you love, you’ll do anything. Try any little trick that would possibly work,”
Midnight at the electric
“I can’t promise you I’m unaltered. And I’m not sure anymore that I want to be.”
Midnight At The Electric
Lenore’s. Story. Is. AMAZING.
I love her character development. Lenore’s brother died fighting in WW1, and her best friend Beth moved to America. She seems to be, throughout her letters, trying to be the same person she was before WW1. But she’s not, and her character gets deep, and a little dark, as she realizes maybe she IS changed, and maybe she doesn’t want to be the same.
I don’t have much else to say about her story, other than that I truly loved it!
“It’s easy to judge people for their sadness when it hasn’t happened to you”
Midnight At The Electric
“I think our big mistakes are not about having bad intentions, just bumbling along, a little self absorbed.”
Midnight At The Electric
Adri is living in the future, where climate change has flooded cities, made polar bears go extinct… lots of things. And of course, part of the reason Adri is going to Mars is because they need a new place for some of the population. But also, in this future, there are electric cars, carbon capture, etc. etc… which is really cool! Adri and Lily, also have a couple conversations about the way we destroyed our planet, which are amazing and SO QUOTABLE.
Also, Catherine is living during the dust bowl, another instance of humans making a mistake that hurt the earth… and there are some amazing quotes from that, as well.
Other than that, climate change isn’t touched on as much, but still!
How could we have such power to destroy? And how could we ever fix it?
Midnight At The Electric
This book was not my favorite book ever, because it was a little slow paced and took me a bit to get into, but I did overall enjoy it! I would recommend it to someone looking for something with a touch of cli-fi, and a lot of… um how do I say this? A lot of feeling.
My rating:
Well, hope you enjoyed! Have you read any good cli-fi? Any good books in general? Let’s chat in the comments!
Bye for now!
The Society To Stop Climate Change 
This book seems Interesting. Also, how to change everything is a very nice book. Great review Naomi!
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It is! I think you’d like it. I agree about How To Change Everything! Thanks!
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