November 8, 2015 - 23:35
**I have only read the first chapter so far**
It didn't hit me that this was a novel about the future (despite how obvious it was) until I read about "nation-state terms of the era" and China in 2050. What I am most interested in at this point is how the concept of "western" is used in this novel. Already, I have encountered references to China and Bhutan, which I would imply to be "eastern," and they have been described somewhat positively in their actions and concepts (actions against climate change and gross domestic happiness). I have also read multiple descriptions of the western world organizing to address climate change, and I wonder if there is a message of a white savior complex due to the exclusion of "eastern" civilization or not-as-developed nations? Also, the term "western" is very ambiguous, and it does not necessarily mean the same thing as colonizers, since Latin America can be considered western. I am also interested in what the novel/ the authors will have to say about the concept of a nation-state, and how that relates to climate change, etc.