Fen, Bog and Swamp

Starred review from July 18, 2022
Pulitzer winner Proulx (Barkskins) sounds the alarm on the place of Earth’s wetlands in the climate crisis in this stunning account. In an attempt to “understand some of what has disappeared,” Proulx lays out how “the history of wetlands is the history of their destruction.” They’ve largely been drained for agricultural and housing purposes, she writes, and continuing that trend risks calamity, as wetlands’ peat layers contain huge quantities of methane and carbon dioxide that will be released if they’re destroyed. Her dire warnings are leavened with glimpses of potential hope, but the bigger picture is bleak: “The world needs the great swamps we have drained away and the few that still exist but the human impetus to develop and drain continues,” she writes. Proulx’s prose is, as ever, stunning—in bogs, “black pools of still water in the undulating sphagnum moss can seem to be sinkholes into the underworld,” and the Earth’s peatlands “resemble a book of wallpaper samples, each with its own design and character—some little more than water and reeds, others luxuriously diverse landscapes of colors we urban moderns never knew existed.” This resonant ode to a planet in peril is tough to forget. Agent: Liz Darhansoff, Darhansoff & Verrill.

June 10, 2024

In her latest nonfiction work, Pulitzer Prize-winning Proulx (Barkskins) makes it clear that fens, bogs, and swamps are not synonyms. All are wetlands, but each is a specific type. This "science with a personal story" book is enhanced by Gabra Zackman's pitch-perfect narration. She brings clarity to the technical aspects and exudes warmth in intimate sections, such as when Proulx professes her love of the outdoors, passed on from her mother, and reveals nostalgic childhood memories communing with nature. The importance of peatlands--their history and destruction, as well as their future--are covered in depth. Unsurprisingly, Proulx reveals that the natural world can self-heal, but that once humans destroy systems, restoration is not easy; such projects can be successful but are not guaranteed, and they take time. Yet rehabilitation of wetlands is happening throughout the world. Hopefully it will be enough for real change and a rebalancing of the ecology in areas that are supposed to be wet. VERDICT It is a real pleasure to hear Zackman reading Proulx's perfect prose. This beautifully rendered audio with its climate-change warning should find a place in most public libraries.--Christa Van Herreweghe

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