Important and Impactful: Read Our Review of If Not Us by Mark Smith

He’d always accepted the mine and power station were part of Shelbourne. On still nights, the thrum of the turbines echoed down the valley and melded with the sound of the ocean until you couldn’t tell them apart.

Hesse lives in a small coastal town, where a coal mine and power station are a part of the scenery and a part of the ever-growing problem of climate change. His mum is a member of a local environmental group campaigning to close the mine and shut down the power station. It’s a no-brainer, of course, but Hesse is more interested in surfing – and in Fenna, the new exchange student from the Netherlands.

But when someone seems to be trying to derail the campaign, and his friends’ families face losing their jobs, Hesse begins to realise that things are complex. When Hesse agrees to speak at a protest meeting he has no idea of the storm he is about to unleash.

Mark Smith is an award-winning author of the acclaimed Winter trilogy. Wilder Country, the second book of the trilogy, won the 2018 Indie Book of the Year for Young Adults.

If Not Us is an important and impactful novel that’s going to stay with me for a long time. Hesse and Fenna are fantastic characters who represent the ordinary, showing that extraordinary things can happen amidst the mundane. If Not Us focuses strongly on the topical theme of climate change – a theme that Smith presents in a uniquely unparalleled manner. Activism and making a difference comes in many shapes and forms, and Hesse and Fenna show two different approaches to the same goal.

The novel opens with John F. Kennedy’s famous words, ‘If not us, who? If not now, when?’ followed by a quote from Greta Thunberg’s speech at the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit. These opening quotes foreshadow the powerful way If Not Us presents the impact our youth can have on the future, initiating change in every shape and form. Initially, Hesse was reluctant to step into the spotlight, but with Fenna’s encouragement, he decides it’s time to make a stand. Some things are too important to leave to everyone else, and even one small, nervous voice can make a difference.

In addition to climate change, If Not Us touches on some timely and relatable themes of bullying, mental health, and the impacts of social media while incorporating humour, friendship, young love, and a surfing hobby. Blended together, these themes create a pacey, page-turning read that builds up to a suspenseful plot twist.

If Not Us is Smith’s first standalone YA novel following his hugely successful Winter trilogy. It’s another great story with an engaging and relatable protagonist, as well as an impassioned plea for climate-change action that will inspire and empower readers of all ages.

Buy a copy of If Not Us here.