Here I am, in the middle of a hot, humid summer, reading yet another novel of global climate catastrophe. Yet the mini-genre abounds— so many authors are imagining possible turns the climate could take, unforeseen consequences, innovative solutions, and their unintended consequences. Clean Air takes an interesting turn, with the plants benefiting from people overusing their long dead ancestors, fossil fuels. No, it’s not quite Little Shop of Horrors, but it has a more potent effect. When the earth continues to have more frequent and more intense “bad air” days, people don’t seem to note a trend until momentous results quickly materialize. Scientists have warned us that given the complexity of factors determining climate conditions, a tipping point reached could result in some rapid, unexpected change. In Clean Air, that change is rapid plant growth, leading to pollen releases that make the air unbreathable for humans.

Izabel and Kaito met in the midst of The Turning, the dramatic change in air quality that led to over half of the human population’s rapid death. The young and the old died, leaving strong young adults behind to rapidly rebuild the world into a livable form, for breath is needed continually. They meet in the hospital, where Izabel is caring for her dying mother, a canary in the coal mine that was the world; Kaito, a doctor, tending to the floods of casualties showing up. While Izabel waits for her mother to die, she assists in the morgue, where they meet. It is now ten years post-Turning, and small communities of surviving families have been planned and developed. Concrete slabs poured, domed plastic, climate-controlled homes for families, as adults have children, a sign of recovery and hope after so much loss. Izabel and Kaito have four-year-old Cami, and Kaito now operates robot farmers, as all outside work is performed by robots. Izabel dealt with her sick and dying mother at the time when she normally would have completed college and started a career. The apolcalypse, meeting Kaito, and starting a family have all derailed her search for a career, and she feels somewhat unmoored.

Enter into this world two strange events— Cami is speaking in her sleep, engaging in distressing dialogues with someone; and a serial killer is stalking their town at night, slashing people’s dome homes open with a knife, exposing the sleeping families to the pollen, killing them before anyone can save them. Here we have a murder mystery imbedded in this community, fresh from death and disaster, rising hopefully from near annihilation as a species. I had a feeling throughout that each character was dealing with trauma in their own way— Kaito taking a pragmatic, problem solving approach, not looking too deeply, Izabel seeking her purpose, observantly and feelingly watching out for her family yet feeling incomplete. Blake inserts many smart features in this world, from the self-driving cars, the need for masks when momentarily outside (ugh, masks!), the spiritual center that is a mix of all sorts of traditions and healing methods. It is clear that the remaining population is traumatized, only ten years out from great loss and destruction.

Blake’s tone is lightly detached as she describes these details, giving you just enough detail to immerse you effectively in the world. The privacy pods at the mall are a nice touch, since people would need a time-out space in a world with no outside, natural escape, always enclosed with others. This is a great book for group discussion. It might change the way you view your garden, or a walk in the woods. Recommended.