I’m still chipping away at my summer reading backlog over here, and this week finally made it to Alex Foster’s Circular Motion, which came out in May. And, wow, I wasn’t quite ready for the emotional journey this one took me on. It’s set in a near future — people ride OneWheels and going viral on social media is still a thing some strive for — where the megacompany CWC has created an extreme form of high-speed travel that allows people to zip across the world in no time flat. But, it soon becomes pretty clear that there’s a consequence for this. Earth is spinning faster and faster… and faster, and protestors blame CWC and the orbital circuit its travel system relies on.
The days grow shorter, the climate events become more extreme and everything is hurtling toward disaster. Circular Motion follows Tanner, a kid from smalltown Alaska who lands a job at CWC, Winnie, a girl who has truly been through it, and Columbia professor Victor Bickle, who shot to viral fame after predicting a public infrastructure catastrophe. They’re all connected, as we piece together through multiple POVs. This is a book that very blatantly has something to say about capitalism, climate change and everything in between, and a beautiful exploration of human connection in a crumbling world.