The Hunger of Those Who Built It

Wowza. This post-apocalyptic Parisian eco-thriller blew me away.

“The title of The Hunger of Those Who Built It is a quote from Ursula Le Guin, and this smart, plausible, moving eco-thriller shows Wendy Waring working in the grandly ambitious political and intellectual tradition of Le Guin, making sense of our past and our possible futures. I was riveted by this all-too-believable tale of post-apocalyptic struggle between corporate overlords and undercover radicals, which also manages to work as a heartfelt family drama and a love letter to Paris .”

Emma Donoghue author of Room.

“Waring brings us a suspenseful, intelligent, and hopeful tale about climate action and who reaps its benefits. This is a book for our times .”

“In The Hunger of Those Who Built It, Wendy Waring brilliantly poses that age-old question: can change happen by working from within? Do we just gently bend the rules of the old order, or must those who want to see a better world challenge everything about the status quo, sometimes by any means necessary? Two sisters, Diane and Helen, estranged for years, are both bent on saving the planet. Diane, architect of a green community in Paris, France,is convinced that her project will be a model for urban sustainability and food security throughout the world. Helen thinks that Diane is just helping her corporate bosses rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic. Set in the near future, Waring brings us a suspenseful, intelligent, and hopeful tale about climate action and who reaps its benefits. This is a book for our times.”

Christine Higdon author of The Very Marrow of Our Bones.

“Paris, 2049. Snowstorms, flooded streets, greenhouse humidity, weathered ancient stone. In this sensual portrayal of ecological collapse , the only hope is to rescue the world from the systems that claim to protect it. Save seeds, remember one another, refuse silence. All the things that we must do now too.”

‘I'm here for hope,’ declares one of the main characters, early on. And for the hope is exactly why you should read this compelling, lyrical novel .”

Tessa McWatt author of The Snag: A Mother, A Forest and Wild Grief.

“Waring has the unique ability to imagine a world so precisely, so believably, that it would be a surprise if it didn’t materialise. Waring’s seductively spellbinding writing comes from the blending of intellect, imagination and formidable talent. This is the work of a seasoned writer… Debuts aren’t supposed to be this good .”

Good Reading magazine .

“Waring’s thought-provoking debut ... is sure to linger in readers’ minds .”

Publishers Weekly .