The politics and economics of alternative energy are filtered through one family's story in Lamar Herrin's Fractures. In a small town above the Marcellus Shale, retired architect Frank Joyner may be the last holdout against the oil-and-gas companies looking to set up derricks and release the natural gas contained in the shale's deep underground pockets. The potential environmental impact of hydrofracking and the disruptiveness of drilling operations haven't deterred many of Frank's neighbors from leasing their land to a developer, and his public statements of ambivalence haven't endeared him to some of them.
Although the decision to lease the Joyners' hundred acres to a gas company ultimately rests with Frank, members of his family are on both sides; whatever choice he makes is likely to alienate someone. The Joyners have some experience with that, however, which becomes apparent as Herrin explores their complicated relationships. There's obviously love between them, but the hurts and hostilities simmering underneath become clear as the novel moves toward its stunning, tragic climax.
As the perspective shifts among several characters, including Frank, his children, Jen and Mickey, and gas-company landman Kenny Brewster, each develops complexity and are fully realized. Herrin draws an obvious metaphor between family dynamics and fracking, but it's effective--and rendered with such empathy and emotional honesty that readers may be reluctant to choose sides. --Florinda Pendley Vasquez, blogger at The 3 R's Blog: Reading, 'Riting, and Randomness