Sinister Wisdom Reviews Beaver Girl
Beaver Girl
Cassie Premo Steele
Anxiety/Outcast Press, 2023, 260 pages
$16.00
Reviewed by Sarah Parsons
I am often wondering where all the climate stories are. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and general ecological collapse are, after all, among the most existential issues we face, are they not? Perhaps these stories are too impersonal, I sometimes think, or too bogged down in scientific jargon to be accessible or appealing to the average reader. Yet in Beaver Girl, a digestible and compelling dystopian novel, Cassie Premo Steele makes it clear that climate fiction is more present and engaging than ever.
Beaver Girl exists in a world which hints at an eerie but possible future for us all–a world ravaged by climate disaster, viruses, and general collapse. Within this world, which has largely seen an end to familiar capitalist systems, people have had to invent new ways of living. This is challenging, given that resources are in short supply and human contact carries the risk of disease or death. Yet, in the absence of all that is familiar, Steele creates a story of reconnection and returning to the ecosystems that we exist within.
The story follows two protagonists: a nineteen-year-old girl named Livia and Chap, the patriarch of a small beaver family. When a wildfire descends upon Livia’s community, she finds herself seeking a new home beyond the human world. Joining a large and rich canon of queer stories about chosen family, Beaver Girl shows the perspective of seeking family and connection beyond human terrain, which is what I find to be so unique about the novel. What lessons can we learn from the animals and plants living among us? Through the split perspectives between Livia and Chap, Steele highlights the varied struggles the characters face and the ways in which they learn to live in proximity to one another. As Livia deals with the aftermath of grief and loss while growing into her adulthood, Chap deals with the fear of caring for his family as his home is under threat. Steele seamlessly weaves ecological knowledge throughout the text, helping the reader access a deeper understanding of the characters (particularly the non-human beings) that populate the story.
Readers of all ages who enjoy dystopian fiction will likely connect with this book, though I think it is particularly suited to YA readers and those with a developing curiosity about the world we live in and the ecology that connects us all. This will also appeal to those like myself who appreciate the intersection between queer narratives and climate stories. What I find perhaps most effective about Cassie Premo Steele’s Beaver Girl is the ultimate sense of hope or resilience the reader is left with, which is endlessly important in stories about our changing world.
Sarah Parsons is a Sinister Wisdom intern and writer based in Oregon whose work can be found online in Paperbark Magazine.
Beaver Girl
Cassie Premo Steele
Anxiety/Outcast Press, 2023, 260 pages
$16.00
Reviewed by Sarah Parsons
I am often wondering where all the climate stories are. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and general ecological collapse are, after all, among the most existential issues we face, are they not? Perhaps these stories are too impersonal, I sometimes think, or too bogged down in scientific jargon to be accessible or appealing to the average reader. Yet in Beaver Girl, a digestible and compelling dystopian novel, Cassie Premo Steele makes it clear that climate fiction is more present and engaging than ever.
Beaver Girl exists in a world which hints at an eerie but possible future for us all–a world ravaged by climate disaster, viruses, and general collapse. Within this world, which has largely seen an end to familiar capitalist systems, people have had to invent new ways of living. This is challenging, given that resources are in short supply and human contact carries the risk of disease or death. Yet, in the absence of all that is familiar, Steele creates a story of reconnection and returning to the ecosystems that we exist within.
The story follows two protagonists: a nineteen-year-old girl named Livia and Chap, the patriarch of a small beaver family. When a wildfire descends upon Livia’s community, she finds herself seeking a new home beyond the human world. Joining a large and rich canon of queer stories about chosen family, Beaver Girl shows the perspective of seeking family and connection beyond human terrain, which is what I find to be so unique about the novel. What lessons can we learn from the animals and plants living among us? Through the split perspectives between Livia and Chap, Steele highlights the varied struggles the characters face and the ways in which they learn to live in proximity to one another. As Livia deals with the aftermath of grief and loss while growing into her adulthood, Chap deals with the fear of caring for his family as his home is under threat. Steele seamlessly weaves ecological knowledge throughout the text, helping the reader access a deeper understanding of the characters (particularly the non-human beings) that populate the story.
Readers of all ages who enjoy dystopian fiction will likely connect with this book, though I think it is particularly suited to YA readers and those with a developing curiosity about the world we live in and the ecology that connects us all. This will also appeal to those like myself who appreciate the intersection between queer narratives and climate stories. What I find perhaps most effective about Cassie Premo Steele’s Beaver Girl is the ultimate sense of hope or resilience the reader is left with, which is endlessly important in stories about our changing world.
Sarah Parsons is a Sinister Wisdom intern and writer based in Oregon whose work can be found online in Paperbark Magazine.
Get BEAVER GIRL from these small, local, independent, queer and black-owned bookstores.
Set against the backdrop of a post-pandemic and climate-collapsed world, Beaver Girl follows the journey of Livia, a 19-year-old confronting the aftermath of environmental upheaval. As wildfires encircle her, Livia seeks solace in Congaree National Park, where an unexpected alliance with a beaver family becomes a central theme in her fight for survival.
Steele skillfully intertwines elements of a morality tale, shedding light on humanity's role in climate disaster. The novel delves into the ecological significance of beavers as keystone species, emphasizing their ability to shape landscapes and create sustainable water sources.
Beaver Girl transcends traditional genres, offering a narrative that explores themes of redemption, resilience, and the interconnectedness of all living beings. Through this joint venture, Anxiety and Outcast Presses bring forth a powerful story that challenges readers to reflect on the consequences of environmental negligence.
Steele skillfully intertwines elements of a morality tale, shedding light on humanity's role in climate disaster. The novel delves into the ecological significance of beavers as keystone species, emphasizing their ability to shape landscapes and create sustainable water sources.
Beaver Girl transcends traditional genres, offering a narrative that explores themes of redemption, resilience, and the interconnectedness of all living beings. Through this joint venture, Anxiety and Outcast Presses bring forth a powerful story that challenges readers to reflect on the consequences of environmental negligence.
Praise for BEAVER GIRL:
If beavers spoke and thought human language, they'd probably sound a lot like the clever, soulful protagonists of Cassie Premo Steele's charming novel. Beaver Girl is a wonderful contribution to the castor canon that's certain to convert a new wave of Beaver Believers — and a good thing, too, since our semiaquatic brethren need all the supporters they can get!
—Ben Goldfarb, Author of Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter
Beaver Girl takes readers into the beautiful landscapes of South Carolina to show us the hope that swims deeply there. This book is the antidote we need in the face of climate change!
-Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times Bestselling Novelist
Beaver Girl explores a grim climate future through the eyes of both beavers and people. Although our species differ in many ways, Cassie Premo Steele skillfully illustrates what we have in common - a deep longing for safety, family, and to build a brighter future for the next generation. I was particularly happy to find so many tidbits of actual beaver ecology woven into the story. This is a book that I could easily read for fun or assign in one of the science classes I teach as an example of communicating science through story.
-Emily Fairfax, Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Minnesota
Both sobering and hopeful, Beaver Girl is a story for our times. As Livia flees climate catastrophe, pandemic tragedy and societal collapse, Chap’s compassion and wise teachings offer us all another way of living in this troubled world.
—Frances Backhouse, Author of Once They Were Hats: In Search of the Mighty Beaver and Beavers: Radical Rodents and Ecosystem Engineers
Beaver Girl is the novel 'beaver believers' have been waiting for. Premo Steele has written an incredibly thoughtful fictionalized account of the relationship between a human and a beaver family that represents beavers' broader positive impacts not only for our degraded yet resilient landscapes, but also for our tender human spirits.
-Alison Zak, Director of the Human-Beaver Coexistence Fund and author of Wild Asana: Animals, Yoga, and Connecting Our Practice to the Natural World
In Cassie Premo Steele’s vivid and endearing novel, Beaver Girl, two narrators, human and nonhuman, navigate a changed world with resilience and hope. As they recognize their shared connections with — and responsibilities to — the Earth, they redefine their ideas of family, reminding us that whatever the species, we are all a vital part of our living world.
— Midge Raymond, Author of My Last Continent
I loved Cassie Premo Steele’s Beaver Girl. A novel of survival, it is story about seeing beauty amidst devastation and loss. It’s about finding a family—human and beyond—into which we can pour our love. And most importantly, Beaver Girl offers an invitation to see our world and its many creatures as connected, reliant on each other, so that the world—and all of us—can thrive. There is no better time for this beautiful book.
— Kate Hopper, Author of Ready for Air and Use Your Words
From a near future apocalypse, resonant with contemporary pandemics, catastrophic climate collapse, wildfires, and political unrest, emerges a heartfelt story of human resilience. Livia, a young woman, and Chap, a mature beaver, narrate Cassie Premo Steele’s Beaver Girl. It is a gripping read that explores survival and care through balance with and connection to the natural world.
— Julie R. Enszer, Editor, Sinister Wisdom
Beaver Girl takes readers on a compelling, emotional journey. Cassie Premo Steele shows us that although tragedy finds everyone, love, friendship, and above all, the natural world, will help us heal. This book is essential for our time.
— Amanda K. Jaros, Editor of Labor of Love: A Literary Mama Anthology