Pearce Oysters. Joselyn Takacs. 2024. 355 Pages. (Hardcover.).

This Portland, Oregon’s debut novel is set on the Louisiana coastline in the immediate wake of the Deepwater Horizon massive oil spill of April, 2009. The effect on the family Pearce Oyster farm creates many conflicts as it slowly dismantles it entirely.

The Pearce family consists largely of Jordan, his widowed mother, May, and his brother Bennie. There are endless conflicts within and beyond the family as the oil spill, the toxic dispersant, and the new admixture of fresh water with salt water slowly kills off the oyster beds. British Petroleum is depicted as greedy, incompetent and deceptive. The Louisiana government is also portrayed as incompetent and uncaring.

There is a lot of bed-hopping, including gay love, but it is not described in a vulgar way. There is also a lot of foul language, mostly in the dialogue of the people of limited education, that makes it seem somehow more appropriate. There is also a bit more self pity and self doubt in almost all of the characters than seems realistic or necessary.

This book is currently the choice of the Western University Alumni Association Book Club which will no doubt study it in sections over months and dissect it in more detail than would most casual readers including myself.

I enjoyed this very well written book, which is a powerful indictment of the fossil fuel industry specifically, and of unregulated rampant capitalism more generally.

4/5

Thanks, Western University Alumni Book Club.