Crocosmia
Crocosmia by Miranda Mellis, published by Nightboat Books on May 20, 2025, is a 176-page novel that explores themes of art, adventure, and radical politics. The narrative follows Maya as she reflects on the “great turning,” a pivotal moment of social and ecological transformation influenced by her mother Jane’s artistic endeavors. Through Maya’s memories, the book presents a life shaped by revolutionary ideas and the complex relationship between family dynamics and political engagement.
Readers will find a philosophical fable that intertwines elements of fantasy, political thought, and eco-fiction. Crocosmia delves into Maya’s upbringing, which spans from a commune led by anarchist nuns to a period of rural solitude following her mother’s mysterious disappearance. The prose vividly captures the tension between personal and political commitments, inviting contemplation on the potential for communal care to flourish in challenging times. This edition offers a rich exploration of family life within the context of broader societal issues.
Official synopsis Publisher
A revelatory novel (or parable) of art, adventure, and radical politics, set in a world on the precipice.
A philosophical fable, Crocosmia centers on Maya as she recollects the “great turning”–a moment of radical social and ecological change effected in part by the art of her mother, Jane. As Maya recalls her upbringing–from a commune run by anarchist nuns to a time of rural isolation before her mother’s disappearance–Mellis’s prose gorgeously conjures a life defined by revolutionary thought and action and the interplay and tension between family life and political commitment. At once a fantasy, a handbook to political thought, and a work of eco-fiction, this lush novel meditates on how, in a world on the precipice, dreams of communal care can bloom.
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