When I first started writing Green Shoots, I knew I wanted to write a thriller because it suited my writing style and reading preferences, but I also knew I wanted to write a book that touched on issues important to me.
When I showed the manuscript to an agent, she called it “an eco-thriller”. It’s not a term I’d heard before and it’s not particularly widely used, nor a genre on Amazon for example, but I was intrigued.
I felt slightly conflicted about giving my book an ‘eco’ tag because I wondered if it might deter as many readers as it attracts. People may be interested in eco issues but above all they look for escapism and pleasure in reading, not a manifesto.
I was particularly mindful of trying to avoid any preachiness and aimed to document rather than to judge. I decided not to make the protagonist John an environmentalist at the outset for example, but rather someone who investigates from a journalist’s more objective standpoint.
The ecological voices come mainly from the South American characters in the book – John’s late wife Christina through her blog, as well as indigenous characters in the rainforest – Nina, Diego and Sami. Perhaps the strongest voice though is that of the killer, and his anger and vengeance at the destruction of nature. This is expressed in a video, through his backstory in the jungle, and in particular in a long clifftop conversation towards the end of the book. I took a long time writing that particular scene because it is so key to the narrative.
There’s no doubt that eco-fiction is a rapidly growing genre, albeit more common in literary fiction and dystopian science fiction than thrillers – the widespread success of books such as The Overstory and Ministry for the Future are two notable examples of these genres.
I was asked recently to write about environmental fiction for Shepherd.com, a new website where authors share their favourite books. During my research, I was heartened at how much eco-fiction is out there, a reflection of the times.
The killer says at the climax of my novel: “The greatest battle of this century is between extractionists and ecologists.” These words reflect my own view and I’m aware I used the character as a messenger for what I wanted to say. As writers, we can but hope to have some influence in an increasingly troubled world.
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