It's Only the End of the World Book Club - Oryx & Crake

“It’s the end of the world every day, for someone.”
– Margaret Atwood

As the bustle of our workday fades, we invite you to leave behind the noise and join us in the serene embrace of the St Andrews Botanic Garden. We delve into stories and reflections that challenge our understanding of the world as we know it. Together, we’ll consider themes of ecological collapse, transformation, and the ways in which we might engage with these monumental shifts.

Margaret Atwood Oryx and Crake (MadAddam Trilogy)

The first volume in the internationally acclaimed MaddAddam trilogy is at once an unforgettable love story and a compelling vision of the future—from the bestselling author of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments.

Snowman, known as Jimmy before mankind was overwhelmed by a plague, is struggling to survive in a world where he may be the last human, and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the beautiful and elusive Oryx whom they both loved. In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey—with the help of the green-eyed Children of Crake—through the lush wilderness that was so recently a great city, until powerful corporations took mankind on an uncontrolled genetic engineering ride. Margaret Atwood projects us into a near future that is both all too familiar and beyond our imagining.

Themes: Environmental Collapse and the Anthropocene, Genetic Engineering and Ecological Impact, Environmental Commodification and Exploitation, Human-Nature Relationship, Loss of Biodiversity and Ecological Memory

Buy book here.

About the Reading Group

In this reading group, we’ll journey through both fiction and non-fiction, where we’ll unearth narratives that encourage us to question, reflect, and reimagine what might come after the end. In shared conversation, we’ll ask what it means to live through moments of profound change, and how literature can equip us to witness and engage with these shifts.

Whether you are a seasoned reader of ecocritical literature, or someone simply interested in the intersection of the written word and the natural world, this group encourages diverse perspectives. We’ll be reading the chosen texts beforehand, and coming together to discuss them in a relaxed, open-minded atmosphere.

No matter your familiarity with the material, we encourage everyone to share their thoughts, and questions as we explore the themes together. As we go along, we’ll adapt our discussions to the group’s interests and pace, allowing room for both joint exploration and personal reflection.

Essential Information:

Minimum age 18. Please bring your own reading/writing materials.

The entrance fee covers access to the garden, as well as tea, coffee, shortbread, and water. Free RSVP for those with exisiting admission tickets for this date, students and Friends Members.

As this is an out of hours event, please meet at the main gate to the Garden at 6pm. If you are running late, please notify Anne Daffertshofer via adaffertshoferstandrewsbotanic.org (Subject line: late/book club).

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Host or Publisher St Andrews Botanic Garden