Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

One quiet afternoon in 2037, Joyce Denzell hears a thud in her family’s home library and finds a book lying in the middle of the room, seemingly waiting for her―a book whose copyright page says it was published in the year 2200. Over the next twenty-four hours, each of the Denzell family members discovers and reads from this mystical history book from the future, nudged along by their cat, Plato.

As the various family members take turns reading, they gradually uncover the story of Gabe, Mia, and Ruth—a saga of adventure, endurance, romance, mystery, and hope that touches them all deeply. Along the way, the Denzells all begin to believe that this book that has seemingly fallen out of time and space and into their midst might actually be from the future—and that it might have something vitally important to teach them.

Engaging, playful, and thought-provoking, Hope is a seven-generation-spanning vision of the future as it could be—based on scientific projections, as well as historical and legal precedence—that will leave readers grappling with questions of destiny, responsibility, and the possibility for hope in a future world.

Review:

This is going to be a tough review for me to write.  I think the author of this book, G. G. Kellner, has the best of intentions when writing, Hope: a History of The Future.  Her warnings about the devastating consequences of Global Warming are sincere and heartfelt.  She is presenting a possible future where the world is in chaos.  With rising sea-levels comes flooding of low laying lands.  Higher temperatures mean food shortages, and instability.  And society has completely broken down.

However, there is no actual story in this book.  

What I Didn't Like:

There are two families presented.  In the near future there is Joyce and her blended family.  Joyce finds a book that purports to be a history of the world and that it is written in the year 2200.  The future.  Joyce, and eventually her whole family, read about what happens in the future, and seriously believe this is a magical book that is telling them about what will happen.  It would have been an eerie twist if there had been references to any of the family in the magical book.  If that happened, it would have at least been plausible for the characters to believe this was a real document about the future.  However, this doesn't happen.  All they can talk about is global warming.  You barely get a chance to know who these people are or anything.  They have no other purpose in the story than to react to the book.

In the book Joyce is reading, there is a history of what happens through a diary of someone's great-grandmother.  Again, there is very little character development.  All the characters talk about is climate change.  The main characters in this part of the story go on a long journey on a boat to escape what they fear is happening.  While their tale of survival is compelling, there was very little character development during what would be a life-altering experience.  In their two (or three) year trip, there was zero friction between the characters.  No one got on each other's nerves.  There was no self-doubt about if they were doing the right thing.  I found that to be wildly unrealistic.

Plus, the society that eventually forms out of this is a ridiculous utopia.  There is no money, everyone adheres to a Universal Bill of Rights, and (again) there is absolutely no conflict.  Overall, I found this novel to be preach and heavy-handed.  In a story, the characters have to change over time.  This never happened.  There are other books where climate change is a major theme, but there is an actual story.  Check out Gravity is Heartless by Sarah Lahey.  These books are character driven and are really wonderful.

Rating:  ⭐⭐

Release Date:  April 19th, 2022

Author:  G.G. Kellner

Publisher:  Spark Press

Genre:  Speculative Fiction

Page Length: 336 Pages

Format:  E-Book

Source:  NetGalley

Recommendation:  While it was sincere, this story was too preachy about climate change. I can't recommend it.