Nancy Lord

"pH," by Nancy Lord, belongs to a genre known as "cli-fi," or climate fiction. According to Lord, this is a "sub-category of environmental fiction that addresses climate change issues." Ray Berringer is a dedicated scientist who lives and works in Alaska. He teaches in the School of Ocean Sciences, and has led a number of research cruises in the Gulf of Alaska to test the waters for acidification and other changes allegedly brought about by global warming. His particular area of expertise is show more a type of zooplankton known as pteropods, small marine gastropods or sea snails that are an important food source. Their shells can completely dissolve when the ocean's acidity increases to a certain level. Ray is a modest man who has contempt for his colleague, Jackson Oakley, a charismatic chemistry expert who is arrogant, adores publicity, and spends a great deal of time raising funds from corporate donors.

Lord skillfully integrates a number of intriguing elements into this engrossing novel. Without preaching, she explains how man's greed and indifference may already have done irreversible damage to our environment. In addition, she presents an interesting mix of characters besides Berringer and Oakley. Most notable are Annabel, an avant-garde and flamboyant artist who is as irritating as she is creative, and Helen, an Alaska native who is Jackson's star student and lover.

The author touches on such issues as the vitriolic conflict between those who believe that climate change is real and those who ridicule it as a hoax; and the corruption of powerful people who are willing to sell their souls to the highest bidder. Ray is falsely accused of wrongdoing, and fears losing his job as well as his hard-earned reputation. Berringer's integrity and good nature have not prepared him for the dog-eat-dog world of academia, predatory reporters, and political infighting. "pH" is an engrossing story of human frailties, fierce rivalries, and the search for truth, which these days has become an ever more elusive commodity. show less

This review originally appeared on my blog at www.gimmethatbook.com.
PH – A NOVEL is a fun and informative read about marine biologists and their passion. It starts out as we watch the cast of quirky characters navigate their yearly boat trip, collecting specimens and bonding along the way. The requisite “bad guy” is a two-faced arrogant chemist; and there are the dual specters of global warming and ocean acidification to add some drama.

Ray Berringer is a quiet man who just wants to show more photograph and catalog pteropods, but he finds a target on his head when he tries to uncover corruption at his university. His students (and one very unusual artist) come together to support him, utilizing unconventional methods – performance art, sit ins, a little sabotage – that are in turns endearing and hilarious.

Author Nancy Lord’s talent for dialogue makes this novel stand out. The ocean’s pH, a potentially dull and complex subject, is easy to understand here. The Alaskan natives and political actors who make it their concern reveal the poignancy in the otherwise clinical science. This sleeper of a novel surrounds you with the realization that we are slowly killing the ocean that nourishes us. It seeps into your subconscious in between the brilliant dialogue and backstabbing drama. With just the right touch of pathos and humor, Lord shouts her agenda quietly.

Pitting environmental defenders against unethical university officials makes it easy to choose sides, regardless of what you believe. The tiny pteropods are portrayed as cute, harmless creatures who become the unofficial mascot of the group. Ray Berringer is appropriately reticent and passive, while the artist Annabel takes up the cause with aplomb. Using all the weapons in her armory, such as performance art and lighting origami on fire and setting it adrift on the beleaguered ocean, Annabel is a character that could easily be written off as a crackpot, but isn’t. Prepare to be delighted.

Regardless of your opinion on climate change, PH – A NOVEL is a pleasant and thought provoking read. I highly recommend it. show less

Nancy Lord is the writer laureate of Alaska, and once you read her latest release, Rock, Water, Wild, you'll understand why. Nancy is our generation's John Muir, and more. Her prose is as exquisite as the wildlife and world she loves. Lord lives and writes with such wonder about the world around her, with such love for that world and such desire for its preservation, you'll be transformed reading her. She is evocative and challenging and in her travels to glaciers, encounters with bears and show more sea lions and moose and geese, she captures a sense of place so vivid, I felt as if I were there with her. An important book. show less

No one captures the beauty, joy, sadness, adventure and solace of the wilderness like Nancy Lord.