Fairhaven: A novel of climate optimism

What will it take to fix the climate crisis?

"Green Stories" prize winner Fairhaven – A Novel of Climate Optimism follows the path of Grace Chan, born in Penang, Malaysia. She has experienced the dire consequences of climate change personally and is taking action borne both of hope and desperation.

Her story explores the implications, both at the global scale and and on a deeply personal level, of our common dilemma and the possibilities that are open to us.

Unlike most ‘cli fi’ novels, which present apocalyptic scenarios for the future, Fairhaven envisions in an engrossing, readily-accessible story for general readers how a range of practical climate adaptation and mitigation solutions could work when fully implemented.

Fairhaven opens in 2036 as Grace is days away from assuming office as the President of the newly-formed Ocean Independent State. Driving along the edge of a Penang dyke to clear her mind, her truck crashes and she comes close to death as the tide rises. As she reviews her life, the reader comes to understand what has brought her (and the world) to this point, how she will move forward, and the surprising role that ordinary individuals can play.