by Noelle Catharine Allen
Black Lawrence Press, Fiction Chapbook
Woman, Wolf, Carbon Capture. How could I resist? This petite work of fiction by Noelle Catharine Allen, which clocks in at 40 pages, is small but mighty. Allen manages to give our protagonist, Tiny, a mess of technology issues, grief, bad neighbors, and even throws in a few Kayaktivists in a war against beavers. Poor Tiny, who is anything but, is actively grieving for her Gra-Gra, “As Tiny felt her fury kindle, she heard Gra-Gra’s voice: ‘Close your mouth, Tiny, before your tongue catches fire.’” She is also in conflict with her decibel-counting neighbors over her GeoSphinx, a sophisticated heat pump and air filter. The machine makes a bit of noise but is crucial in controlling her asthma, which she developed during her early career of battling wildfires, and is now a reluctant substitute teacher.
Enter the stranger. A city engineer arrives at her door and asks her to join a carbon capture pilot program. “Tiny snorted. Carbon capture? The bullshit greenwashing technology? The thing that would supposedly, someday, suck all the carbon from the atmosphere so there was no need, according to Exxon-Mobile, to stop burning fossil fuels?” But in the end, the engineer’s speckled green eyes convince her to try it out. The carbon capture device comes with a fairy tale list of Don’ts: No matter how much you are captivated by the “MAGIC” of carbon capture, do not cut off a lock of hair and push it through the valve of the device in order to strengthen the “MAGIC.”… do not prick your finger or arm and drip blood into the valve of the device in order to strengthen the “MAGIC.” The list goes on.Who could say no?
And who knew that carbon capture could involve birds and rainbows, and yes, wolves? I can’t give more plot beyond this, because I would risk writing a review longer than the book, but suffice it to say, it was a satisfying ending and an imaginative read. Kudos for Black Lawrence Press for producing these smart bites of fiction. They should be in airport vending machines. Maybe a city engineer will show up at the door and offer them one soon.
JoeAnn Hart writes about the pervasive and widespread effects of the climate crisis on the natural world and the human psyche. Her most recent book, Arroyo Circle, a story of reclamation in a time of loss, was released by Green Writers Press in 2024. Her other books include the prize-winning environmental and animal fiction collection Highwire Act & Other Tales of Survival, the crime memoir Stamford ’76: A True Story of Murder, Corruption, Race, and Feminism in the 1970s, as well as Float, a dark comedy about plastics in the ocean published by Ashland Creek Press, and Addled, a social satire. She is a regular reviewer of climate and animal fiction at EcoLit Books.