In a frighteningly plausible near future, climate change and overconsumption have led to a devastating drought; the crumbling cities of the desiccated West Coast are sealed off from the rest of the country, receiving meager help from the federal government. In once-green Portland, Ore., water is severely rationed, though some have found ways to hoard it or bypass the regulations.
One night, unemployed barista Renee Gorski helps hijack a government water truck headed to the wealthy neighborhoods and distributes the bounty to those in need. Her impulsive act, caught on camera, earns her the sobriquet Maid Marian and leads to more significant activism: she declares a single neighborhood to be a sovereign country, which secedes from the city and operates on utopian sharing ideals. With nods to various activist movements, including Occupy, the charismatic Marian builds her community one neighbor at a time, supported by her acolyte army, the Green Rangers. Marian finds it's not easy to keep her people fed, hydrated, happy and motivated, but she's driven to persevere--to the detriment of her relationship with her supportive boyfriend, Zach, who remains in Portland. As her legend spreads and her territory grows, Marian's idealism is compromised in the face of violent opposition from the City of Portland, led by struggling mayor Brandon Bartlett (who'd really rather play videogames than deal with the conflict) and the National Guard.
Sherwood Nation--Benjamin Parzybok's second novel, after Couch--is a fast-moving tale of ideas and action, lent credibility by current headlines and engaging characters. Parzybok's apocalyptic future is so realistic, readers may think twice before guzzling a big glass of ice water. --Robin Lenz, managing editor, Shelf Awareness