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Ruth Ozeki spins a web of multi-layered story lines in ALL OVER CREATION, a tale that centers on the topic of genetically engineered vegetation (namely, potatoes) and whether they will destroy the environment or save the world from mass starvation. This may sound like a non-fiction dissertation, but it is not. Ozeki uses this topic and splices it into a novel that spans several decades, several different sub-plots and a large cast of characters --- and she manages to tie it all together by the end of the book.
Momoko and Lloyd Fuller have farmed potatoes for decades in Idaho. They are quite successful at it, amassing acres of farmland while their neighbors, the Quinn's, go bankrupt. Momoko also has a successful seed company, doing the meticulous work of growing her own vegetables and flowers and harvesting and cataloguing the seeds on her own. Their daughter Yumi (called Yummy by the community) is missing in action, having run away from home when she was fourteen. She had been in contact with her mother through letters over the years, but she has not seen either parent since then. Although she has written to her mother numerous times and received responses from Momoko, Lloyd has not written or tried to make any contact with his daughter since the last time he saw her --- during a major confrontation about a man Yummy had been dating. This was twenty-five years ago.
Yummy becomes the prodigal daughter who returns to Idaho straight from Hawaii to visit with her parents before it is too late. She is told that Lloyd is ill and that she is needed at home. In tow are Yummy's three young children --- Phoenix, Ocean and "Poo" --- fathered by three different men. Yummy's arrival creates a stir with the family, along with the entire community.
Will and Cass Quinn have bought most of Lloyd's land and are farming it, since Lloyd is too ill to do it any longer. They currently live next door to the Fuller's in Cass's parents' old house, allowing Lloyd and Momoko to live on the property until their deaths. Cass happens to be Yummy's best friend from grade school and feels somewhat resentful that Yummy never kept in touch. The fact that Cass and Will are also childless causes even more tension between the two women. Cass knows that Yummy is obviously not a good role model and subconsciously feels that she could have done a better job.
Because of Yummy's absence all these years, Cass has taken it upon herself to help out the Fuller's. She helps feed them since Momoko's memory lapses prevent her from remembering to cook. She helps Lloyd by changing his colostomy bag twice a day and she is the one who contacts Yummy, asking her to come home. Cass feels that Lloyd's time on this planet is nearing its end. Just as Cass watched out for Yummy when they were kids, she is now watching out for Yummy and her family as an adult.
"The Seeds" form the third side of this triangle. A group of protesters who are spreading the warnings about genetically engineered potatoes, The Seeds drive around in their converted RV they named SPUDNIK. They are traveling cross-country, spawning protests and doing some minor damage at grocery stores, occasionally getting arrested. Their message is that these vegetables are harmful to the environment and that organic farming is the way to go.
At first, The Seeds don't seem to fit in with the rest of the novel, but their role becomes clear when they make their way to Idaho in search of Lloyd and Momoko Fuller, the owners of Fuller's Seeds. Their lives collide and, with Yummy back in the picture, it seems that the center of anti-genetically-engineered sentiments is now in Idaho. Unbeknownst to all of them, Yummy's old childhood lover, Elliott, is at the heart of the controversy but is working for the "other team." He lies his way back into Yummy's life, with Yummy totally clueless about his intentions.
ALL OVER CREATION is a fairly complex story. The heart of the book lies within the relationships between Lloyd and the other characters, especially with his daughter Yumi. Despite the scientific theme of the book, Ruth Ozeki puts a lot of heart and soul into it and makes for an enjoyable read. This reviewer highly recommends ALL OVER CREATION and looks forward to reading her first book, MY YEAR OF MEATS.
--- Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton
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