Press Action ::: Water Inc.: A Hard-Hitting Eco-Thriller

Saturday, July 16, 2005

Water Inc.: A Hard-Hitting Eco-Thriller

We’ve not seen drought conditions in the mid-Atlantic for the past two or three years. That could change in the years to come, but not as long as the residual effects of the line of hurricanes and tropical storms striking the United States keep dumping inches of rain on the area every week or two between July and October.

Conditions are different as you head west. The Missouri River, for example, is slowing to a muddy trickle in areas, which threatens farming, power production, shipping, and the water supply for a 10-state basin. Some foresee a scenario in which the drought conditions in parts of the Great Plains encompass the entire U.S. Midwest and East Coast. That’s the backdrop to Varda Burstyn’s tantalizing new novel “Water Inc.,” in which a shady business consortium seeks to build a pipeline that would transport great volumes of water from Quebec to those agricultural regions of the United States thirsty for liquid replenishment.

The eco-political thriller, Burstyn’s first novel, introduces readers to an American business tycoon who recognizes the terrible environmental problems on the horizon and develops the controversial plan to ship the water from Canada south of the border. The tycoon views the terrible drought as a business opportunity to collect the biggest profits of his career by developing the mammoth pipeline project.

The tycoon works with Quebec government officials behind closed doors to gain approval of the project, without public input. News of the project, however, leaks to environmentalists in Quebec and the United States, who seek ways to stoke public opinion against the project. The problem is that the government of Quebec denies its working to hand over the province’s water rights to a private U.S. business consortium.

The race is on as the business consortium seeks to manhandle final approval from the Quebec government before the environmentalists’ public relations efforts can gain traction.

The story is a fast-paced thriller, with appealing protagonists. An executive with a defense contractor conspires with the leader of a U.S. environmental organization to publicize the consortium’s efforts. This puts them in the crosshairs of the consortium’s security apparatus, who is tasked with eliminating all potential disruptions to their business plans. Murder, attempted murder and stakeouts ensue.

The story runs astray in portions of the final 50 pages or so when the environmentalists scramble to find ways to discredit the business consortium by searching for other environmental crimes committed by the water project’s members. Burstyn, for example, takes the reader to a major chemical spill in Lisbon harbor, an unnecessary plot detour that slows the story’s momentum.

Generally, though, Water Inc., published by Verso, is a must-read for anyone looking for a political thriller that goes beyond typical palace intrigue. Burstyn crafts an immensely entertaining story that reads like it was written by a long-time novelist. She expertly explores how governments often work hand-in-hand with business interests, even on the most potentially harmful projects.

Let’s hope Burstyn continues writing such entertaining novels with unconventional plot lines.