Book review of Eleutheria by Allegra Hyde
An eco-cult in the Bahamas ps. As an amateur book reviewer, I don’t know how to avoid what people might consider literary “spoilers” so… you’ve been warned. I took this one off the shelf because I liked the “t” in the title, and the “g” in the author’s name. I also liked the image, possibly because I’m jealous of my hair stylist who goes to the Bahamas every year. Our main character, Willa Marks, orphan of survivalist parents, hopes desperately to fight climate change. Having discovered a sort of manifesto for an eco-utopia on the island of Eleutheria in the Bahamas, she sets off, leaving behind a lover and two would-be-influencers cousins. Despite the warning signs, Willa inserts herself into the unfriendly island crew, led by a mediocre man who eventually disappears. Classic cult leader stuff. One of my favorite arcs is that of the island’s interns. Reminding me of the worst people from my boarding school days, I inwardly cackled at their struggles with the island’s primitive conditi
