Orphans of Canland

Orphans of Canland is a literary coming-of-age climate-fiction novel set in a dystopian America in 2088. Twelve-year-old eternal optimist, Tristan Weekes, who is born unable to feel physical pain, grows up in the aftermath of an ecological collapse. He lives in Canland, an environmental restoration community in the California desert. As Tristan seeks the approval of his brother, Dylan—a drug-addicted satellite hacker—and his mother, Helena—a powerful population control-extremist—he struggles to comprehend the dichotomies and horrors of this seemingly idyllic new world.

Equal parts environmental warning, philosophical quest, and family saga, this stunning debut by Daniel Vitale calls into question the nature of love, the duty of science, and what it means to belong on Earth.