…Both Laurel and Paloma come across as authentic and imperfect, struggling with their identities in ways
that other ‘passing’ children of the Latinx diaspora (such as myself) can easily recognize and empathize
with. In a climax that is as surprising as it is inevitable, Varela delivers a powerful message about risk and
reward when an uncertain future is on the line. As I read Blue Mar, I caught myself nodding, yes, yes, así
es como es. That’s the way it is. And that’s the way it may be. Varela delivers a cautionary tale of a dark
future, but not without its bright spots. It is a rare talent to successfully pair such a realistically bleak
outlook for the future with genuine potential for hope and healing. With so much to unpack and discuss in
this novel, and its impetus for the ways we may (or may not) control our own futures, Blue Mar should be
required reading for everyone.”
Leslie Salas, editor of Other Orlandos
…The absence of masks in public places, any instance of strangers gathering, and insufficient personal
protective equipment worn by characters often set of alarms of false!, wrong!, or clearly, this is a different
timeline! But in Blue Mar, Francesca G. Varela gets so much of it right. In a dual-voiced narrative that is
both heartbreaking and hopeful, Varela crafts a compelling story following two half-Salvadorian women,
lost and adrift in a changing world struggling to keep up with the effects of global climate change.
Extreme weather, mystery illnesses, and people protesting for a better future—they’re all reflected in the
worldbuilding of this book. Varela’s imagery is rich with color and texture. Her keen attention to detail,
from the sooty air during wildfire season to the spongy terrain of the old-growth rainforest, enhance the
story and offer an additional level of escapism for the reader to enjoy. Occasional lapses into Spanglish are
genuine, enriching the narrative voices of both protagonists without being cumbersome to readers
unfamiliar with the vocabulary…
…When Laurel and Paloma’s beloved Abuelo dies of a new, untreatable illness (not unlike the novel
coronavirus that causes COVID-19) and Laurel’s promotion goes to her boyfriend instead of her, the young
women escape to El Salvador to find themselves on their family’s land. As they live on Tia Roberta’s finca
and struggle with their meager Spanish, Paloma and Laurel discover how much of the country has changed
from the stories their Abuelo told them. So much has been wrecked by rising sea levels, pollution, and
increasing stratification between the wealthy and los pobres that some people are becoming desperate. So
desperate, in fact, that environmentalists come to El Salvador looking for volunteers to live on Blue Mar, the
now-bankrupt project turned into a haven for refugees. Anyone desperate for change is eligible to live there,
so Laurel finds herself boarding the ship for the hopeful plastic island while Paloma stays behind. As the
novel unfurls, the sisters encounter both love and loss as their struggles grow to be bigger than themselves.
It’s sometimes a bit disorienting to read a novel that was written before the COVID-19 pandemic--but takes
place in the future…
“Francesca G. Varela’s compelling cli-fi novel, Blue Mar, presents a harrowing glimpse into a future where
current global efforts to slow the effects of climate change are insufficient. The oceans are overwhelmed
with plastic debris, wildfires rage in the droughts of California, the US east coast is drenched in torrential
flooding, and there simply isn’t enough food for everyone. A wealthy company, Lustro Corp, builds an
artificial island out of plastic, called Blue Mar, with the intention of turning it into a resort for the wealthy
elite. Sisters Laurel and Paloma watch on, incredulous, as their worlds crumble around them. Paloma’s just
graduated from college and has a partial scholarship to med school, but she isn’t even sure she wants to
go—not when it’ll take another decade of schooling and residencies before she can make an impact in the
world around her. She needs time and space to think. Meanwhile, Laurel’s supposed to take over the family
business at the local slaughterhouse, which was recently bought out by a big company looking to make
major changes with GMOs and automation against her Abuelo’s wishes…
“Blue Mar is a rare climate fiction novel, one woven through the emotional register of two sisters
facing a world in crisis. Francesca Varela's writing is luminous and powerful, transporting readers to
a not-so-distant future where the worries that plague our planet now have only been exacerbated
by human greed and disbelief. The book features the kind of world-building that is both ubiquitous
and effortless, where readers are likely to forget they're reading a book with science fiction elements
because they're so enraptured by the characters' stories. A powerful meditation on meaning and
family set against the backdrop of a world racked by climate catastrophe. A work of climate fiction
for our times.”
S.E. Fleenor, managing editor of Bella Media Channel
Margaret Hetherman, science writer and futurist
“Barren fields and rising seas juxtapose with iridescent birds, sugar cane and bougainvillea in
Francesca G. Varela’s Blue Mar. In Laurel and Paloma’s world, hope, the color of turquoise, is
marketed as an island of plastic, crafted from remnants of Barbie dolls and Ziplock bags. But what
might our protagonists lose in gaining a spot on this veritable lifeboat? In a world of uncertainty –
and the author hints that the world may have always been just that – lies an invitation to find one’s
footing in the unchangeable, in that which always was and always will be. Laurel senses in the
humidity and storm clouds, ‘the full width of the ocean carried in each gust and unfurled onto sand,
and concrete and coconut palms. This was the air of her ancestors.’ Blue Mar speaks to the balance
between placing our hope in human ingenuity, and surrendering to the comfort of human
connection. The proposition, irresistible because we have no choice: ‘We will at least be together
when…’”
William Huggins, author of Ghosts
“In Blue Mar, Francesa G. Varela continues to deliver on the promise shown in Call of the Sun Child
and previous work. As if torn from today’s headlines, she delves into contemporary climate change
issues such as plastic pollution, human migration, food production, genetic manipulation of
nonhuman animals, and of course the worsening impacts of climate change in ways that humanize
the problem. Simultaneously, Varela creates a tension in Laurel’s sense of identity as Laurel develops
an awareness of the complexity of her blended ethnicities and histories, leading her to discover
where her true allegiances and family roots might lie. An excellent addition to the expanding
literature of climate fiction.”
…What are the implications for the natural world, if humans cannot even bridge the gap between
groups—if humans create such groups at all? Varela richly describes the natural world, especially in the El
Salvador scenes, and her use of fiction as a vehicle for environmental activism is balanced and powerful.
But she focuses on racial injustice and the human costs of inequity most of all. Whether it is at the
slaughterhouse, in the village in El Salvador, or even in the settlement on the plastic island, it is the poor
who tend to get the short end of the stick. Blue Mar shows us that even the best intentions inevitably lead
to further exploitation of racialized peoples and the natural world. The problems suffered by the Monti
family and their community in the near future hold a mirror to what is happening everywhere right now.”
Louise Fabiani, naturalist, environmental writer, and cultural critic
…After Abuelo’s death, the sisters decide to visit El Salvador, where they stay with another elder, their
great-aunt Roberta. And it is from there that the sisters lives diverge for good. Laurel decides to move to
Blue Mar after it has been taken over by a group of do-gooders as a kind of refuge from the ravages of
climate change. Paloma stays behind in the village, where she debates whether to start medical school,
and learns how to plant local land races of basic crops. Blue Mar is not what Laurel expects, and tragedy
ensues when the weather turns. Varela’s story moves at a tidy pace, and her characters are vividly drawn,
likeable, and believable. The matter of being of mixed blood—mestizo/a—commands a large part of each
sister’s internal conflict, and much of the dialogue as well. That it takes up so much of the novel suggests
that a sense of one’s place in a culture means as much as a sense of being safe in one’s place. The divide
between whites and Hispanics in the Americas reaches all the way down to the individual level: one person
can also feel divided against herself, genetically and culturally, like Laurel, who looks white….
“Award-winning environmentalist-author Francesca Varela’s fourth novel, Blue Mar, is set in a near-future
United States and Central America. But it is a story very much concerned with the past—what it can teach
us, what we have lost from it, and how it can help guide us forward. Sisters Paloma and Laurel Monti can
trace part of their family back to El Salvador. One of their grandfathers, whom they call by the Spanish
equivalent, Abuelo, manages the local slaughterhouse. Laurel works in the office. His wisdom and
memories of bygone days, both in his adopted home of California and before that, back in El Salvador,
sustain his two granddaughters. More than that, what he knows forms a strong contrast to the high-tech
present affected by climate change. It is not only about temperature and weather patterns; the modern
world the family navigates contains GMO animals, an ocean filled with more plastic garbage than fish,
strange diseases, rising sea levels, and vanishing cropland. It also features Blue Mar, a large artificial island
composed of waste plastic…
Eric D. Lehman, author of 9 Lupine Road
“Francesca Varela gives us a perceptive look at the near future in her latest book, Blue Mar. The
characters navigate their way through a world of plastic islands and Mars exploration, but also a
world that still eats pizza and practices yoga. This nearness gives Varela’s work a feeling of absolute
reality. Food ethics and new diseases will not suddenly become issues of the past over the next
century, even if we have virtual reality glasses, and we will always yearn for the sea.”
…Meanwhile, Paloma, who thought she had her future all figured out, now questions her plans in
light of worsening climate change. The gap between the sisters widens thanks to their differing
views on cultural identity, the human toll of climate change, and what humans owe to each other
and the world. The story’s poignancy is enhanced by its familiarity: though set in an unspecified
future, the picture it paints of a world choking on plastic, droughts, wildfires, new diseases, and
rising ocean levels is an eerie echo of current events. The world Laurel and Paloma inhabit—and the
decisions they make—will very soon be a reality for too many people. Blue Mar’s ultimate message,
however, is not one of despair. On the contrary, it shows that, even in hopelessness, there is
hope—but it must be earned, not given. Filled with poetic turns of phrase and foreboding visuals,
Blue Mar is a science fiction novel about awakening to the reality that everyone is responsible for
humanity’s well-being.”
Edith Gonzalez, Foreword Review
“Two sisters find very different destinies in Francesca G. Varela’s novel Blue Mar. Laurel and Paloma
have never been to El Salvador, where their beloved Abuelo grew up; gang wars fueled by climate
change have made Central America too dangerous to visit. After Abuelo’s unexpected death, they
decide to go anyway. While spending the summer on their family’s farm—now endangered by
flooding and extreme weather—both women find new perspectives on climate change, and new
dreams to fight for. The relationship between Laurel and Paloma is complex. While not estranged,
they struggle to connect. Laurel is enthralled by a corporation’s failed attempt to turn plastic waste
into an island resort, and how the place has become a rallying point for environmental activists
seeking to build a self-sufficient utopia…
REVIEWS FOR BLUE MAR
In the not-so-distant future, two sisters must navigate a world that is
unraveling due to climate change. Wildfires blot out the sky, coastlines are
being washed away by rising seas, and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has
been geo-engineered into an actual island called Blue Mar. When Laurel and
Paloma visit their Great-Aunt in El Salvador, they find that things are far
worse than in the U.S., so bad that many people are moving to Blue Mar to
start a new life. As they search for their identity and their place in the world,
Laurel and Paloma must decide whether to go to Blue Mar themselves, or
whether to stay, reconnect with their culture, and fight to save the land of
their ancestors.
2024 Francesca Varela
WHERE TO BUY:
Blue Mar
BOOKSTORE/LIBRARY ORDERS:
Wholesale Orders: wayfarerbooks.org/contact-us
Publisher: Wayfarer Books
Release Dates: Second Edition August 5,
2024; First Edition March 16, 2021
Paperback: 260 pages
ISBN: 978-1965320181
Learn more about Francesca
and her copy editing services!
Other books by Francesca Varela:
HOW TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
•
Leave a rating on Goodreads or Amazon
•
Ask your local library to order Blue Mar
•
Ask your local indie bookstore to
stock Blue Mar
•
Recommend to friends/family
MEDIA FEATURES
Please note: my publisher messed up my name on the listing for Blue Mar on Amazon, Barnes &
Noble, Bookshop, etc. The author is listed as ‘G. Varela’ instead of ‘Francesca G. Varela.’ I’m waiting for
them to remedy the situation but don’t have the power to change it myself. Thank you for your patience.
Francesca G.
Varela
Blue Mar
WHERE TO BUY:
REVIEWS:
“Two sisters find very different
destinies in Francesca G. Varela’s
novel Blue Mar. Laurel and Paloma
have never been to El Salvador,
where their beloved Abuelo grew
up; gang wars fueled by climate
change have made Central America
too dangerous to visit. After
Abuelo’s unexpected death, they
decide to go anyway. While
spending the summer on their
family’s farm—now endangered by
flooding and extreme
weather—both women find new
perspectives on climate change,
and new dreams to fight for. The
relationship between Laurel and
Paloma is complex. While not
estranged, they struggle to
connect. Laurel is enthralled by a
corporation’s failed attempt to turn
plastic waste into an island resort,
and how the place has become a
rallying point for environmental
activists seeking to build a self-
sufficient utopia. Meanwhile,
Paloma, who thought she had her
future all figured out, now
questions her plans in light of
worsening climate change. The gap
between the sisters widens thanks
to their differing views on cultural
identity, the human toll of climate
change, and what humans owe to
each other and the world. The
story’s poignancy is enhanced by its
familiarity: though set in an
unspecified future, the picture it
paints of a world choking on plastic,
droughts, wildfires, new diseases,
and rising ocean levels is an eerie
echo of current events. The world
Laurel and Paloma inhabit—and the
decisions they make—will very soon
be a reality for too many people.
Blue Mar’s ultimate message,
however, is not one of despair. On
the contrary, it shows that, even in
hopelessness, there is hope—but it
must be earned, not given. Filled
with poetic turns of phrase and
foreboding visuals, Blue Mar is a
science fiction novel about
awakening to the reality that
everyone is responsible for
humanity’s well-being.”
Edith Gonzalez, Foreword
Review
“Barren fields and rising seas
juxtapose with iridescent birds,
sugar cane and bougainvillea in
Francesca G. Varela’s Blue Mar.
In Laurel and Paloma’s world,
hope, the color of turquoise, is
marketed as an island of plastic,
crafted from remnants of Barbie
dolls and Ziplock bags. But what
might our protagonists lose in
gaining a spot on this veritable
lifeboat? In a world of
uncertainty – and the author
hints that the world may have
always been just that – lies an
invitation to find one’s footing in
the unchangeable, in that which
always was and always will be.
Laurel senses in the humidity and
storm clouds, ‘the full width of
the ocean carried in each gust
and unfurled onto sand, and
concrete and coconut palms. This
was the air of her ancestors.’
Blue Mar speaks to the balance
between placing our hope in
human ingenuity, and
surrendering to the comfort of
human connection. The
proposition, irresistible because
we have no choice: ‘We will at
least be together when…’”
Margaret Hetherman,
science writer and futurist
“Blue Mar is a rare climate fiction
novel, one woven through the
emotional register of two sisters
facing a world in crisis. Francesca
Varela's writing is luminous and
powerful, transporting readers to a
not-so-distant future where the
worries that plague our planet
now have only been exacerbated
by human greed and disbelief. The
book features the kind of
worldbuilding that is both
ubiquitous and effortless, where
readers are likely to forget they're
reading a book with science fiction
elements because they're so
enraptured by the characters'
stories. A powerful meditation on
meaning and family set against
the backdrop of a world racked by
climate catastrophe. A work of
climate fiction for our times.”
S.E. Fleenor, managing
editor of Bella Media
Channel
Please note: my publisher
messed up my name on the
listing for Blue Mar on Amazon,
Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, etc.
The author is listed as ‘G. Varela’
instead of ‘Francesca G. Varela.’
I’m waiting for them to remedy
the situation but don’t have the
power to change it myself. Thank
you for your patience.
In the not-so-distant future,
two sisters must navigate a
world that is unraveling due
to climate change. Wildfires
blot out the sky, coastlines
are being washed away by
rising seas, and the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch has
been geo-engineered into
an actual island called Blue
Mar. When Laurel and
Paloma visit their Great-
Aunt in El Salvador, they
find that things are far
worse than in the U.S., so
bad that many people are
moving to Blue Mar to start
a new life. As they search
for their identity and their
place in the world, Laurel
and Paloma must decide
whether to go to Blue Mar
themselves, or whether to
stay, reconnect with their
culture, and fight to save
the land of their ancestors.
BOOKSTORE/LIBRARY ORDERS:
Wholesale Orders:
wayfarerbooks.org/contact-us
Publisher: Wayfarer Books
Release Dates: Second Edition August 5,
2024; First Edition March 16, 2021
Paperback: 260 pages
ISBN: 978-1965320181
Other books by
Francesca Varela:
HOW TO SHOW
•
Leave a rating on Goodreads or
Amazon
•
Ask your local library to order
Blue Mar
•
Ask your local indie bookstore
to stock Blue Mar
•
Recommend to friends/family
MEDIA FEATURES:
o
Foreword Review
o
Book Riot
o
Eugene Weekly
o
The Register-Guard
o
Willamette Writers
o
Utah Alumni
o
UO Alumni
o
Latinx Life
o
Locus Online
YOUR SUPPORT
www.francescavarela.com
Francesca G. Varela
