20/20

20/20 by B. Shawn Clark introduces readers to a future world that is almost torn apart by relentless storms and floods. Captain, an elderly white man recollects his childhood in Miami in the 2020s, a period of his life when he met Harrison, a white survivalist, and Calusa, a Native American woman. As a boy, he learned the art of grit from these two people when they set out to build self-sufficient homes as a storm devastated their neighborhood. Follow this man's tale to learn the lessons he learned and how he became a mentor in his own right after learning from Harrison. A tale that features unforgettable characters and themes of survival, resilience, community, and grit.

This is a novel that feels as real as any can be and the author does a wonderful job of capturing some of the key moments in contemporary history and offering compelling historical hints. It is the tale of man's struggle with the challenges posed by the rapidly changing environment and the crisis environmental change poses. The first-narrative voice instantly grabs the reader's attention and pulls them into the worldview of the narrator. The author's use of streams of consciousness enriches the narrative by adding depth to the character while deepening the sense of conflict that drives the narrative forward. While B. Shawn Clark's debut novel offers a delightful reading experience with an impressive cast of elaborately developed characters, it echoes the fears that brush the hearts of contemporary readers when they think about the future of our world. It is deeply resonant and timely, a novel with a strong warning about what we may have to face in the near future if we don't learn to take care of the environment.