“In his most recent novel, The Chemistry of Tears, Carey is concerned with nothing less than the fate of the earth. The story of a contemporary museum curator who is restoring an automaton – a clockwork silver swan – takes place in 2010, the year the BP oil spill threatened environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. A parallel story takes place in the 19th century – as Henry Brandling struggles to get the swan made as a gift for his consumptive son.

“If you ask why are you interested in the 19th century, I would say, because we’re living in it,” Carey said in an interview with CBC News. “We’re living with the consequences of it. We argue with the 19th century capitalists, growth is good – we still talk like that…”‘   Susan Noakes  CBC link

Read the New York Times review HERE