Siblings Malka and Ezra try to make sense of the world following a cataclysmic climate event in R.M. Romero's incisive middle-grade cli-fi fantasy, The Tear Collector.
Twelve-year-old Malka and 10-year-old Ezra remember little of their lives before "the polar ice caps melted and caused the Flood." Malka can't remember anything from life on the Mainland, but Ezra has a "list of memories" that sadden him so deeply he keeps them secret: glimpses of his mother; "a cat the color of orange peels"; "the milky light of the Shabbat candles." Now, the children live on the Island with their Uncle Jonas. The family makes a living through barter: Uncle Jonas serves as town doctor and the children scavenge what washes up on the beaches. At the same time, a mysterious illness, the Sorrow, is causing people to slowly transform into "storybook"-like monsters, "too sharp in all the wrong places." Jonas believes that tears themselves might be the secret to cure the Sorrow, and so Malka becomes the Tear Collector, emotionally manipulating her neighbors so she can steal a tear or two. As Malka feels the weight of this task, she worries about Ezra, who is beginning to show signs of transformation.
Romero (The Ghosts of Rose Hill) builds a sorrowful yet still hopeful post-apocalyptic world using a cast of characters who find joy in life despite the unknowns. Their mutual care and understanding highlights how community is both possible and necessary in the face of despair. The Tear Collector handles climate fears with aplomb, answering the question "Is there still hope?" with a resounding "yes." --Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer