A Tale of the 99%

This is a solid YA novel set in a dystopian but all too real future—where super storms have battered the coasts of the United States, where fossil fuels have pretty much run out, and where the gap between the haves and have nots has widened to a chasm. Our hero is Nailer, a teen who works on a crew that salvages parts from wrecked oiled tankers along the gulf coast—dangerous work that barely provides enough to keep him and his co-workers alive. However, they all dream of finding a cache of oil—the big score that would push them above subsistence level. In the meantime, Nailer tries to avoid his drug addicted and violent father by often staying with his friend, Pima, and her mother, Sadna. As is always the way in stories like these, Nailer’s life changes when he stumbles upon a clipper ship washed ashore by a storm—filled with infinitely salvageable items and one even more valuable thing—the daughter of a rich trader.

This is a dark and violent tale but one with a lot to say about the importance of loyalty and relationships as well as some well-aimed jabs at our own current situation.