Title: Foragers: A Dangerous Pastime

Author: Jayke Luland

Genre: Urban Fantasy

 

Jimothy and Shelly are foragers living in the town of Tumut, Australia. They take their life’s mission seriously and have no qualms with conducting surreptitious surveillance on random foragers they suspect of violating the rules of the land. Recently, their target for observation is a young woman named Faye Friendly, whom they believe guilty of trespassing and pilfering various herbs and seeds. Jimothy and Shelly believe Faye’s behavior is criminal and needs to be reported, yet the local constable has better things to do than arrest someone for gathering food. The vigilant pair have never been the kind to concede to the wishes of law enforcement and thus decide to bring down Faye on their own, yet they may have underestimated the nature of Faye Friendly.

Jayke Luland has written an immensely humorous book set in a small town where doom and gloomers are pervasive, as are characters with alliterative names. Tumut is no stranger to division and strife, and the author deftly sets the stage for future conflict between authoritarians like Jimothy and Shelly and good Samaritans like Faye Friendly. In addition to the machinations of the Council of Foragers, there are the clarion calls of the submergist movement, who long to see Tumut sunk. Luland’s skill is in keeping both aspects of zaniness contained until just the right moment.

Faye Friendly represents virtue and innocence when her character is introduced, remaining blissfully unaware of those spying on her. When informed by a friend about the perils of urban foraging, she remains skeptical to the point of being nonplussed. Until she is subject to an assault by a minion of Jim and Shelly, Faye refuses to believe she is in any danger. The character arc of Faye is one of the more intriguing aspects of the narrative.

The theme of zealotry is evident in the story through the extreme actions undertaken by Jimothy and Shelly in targeting those who run afoul of the foraging rules, whether they be real or theoretical. The couple runs the Council of Foragers with an iron fist as they believe they are upholding customs and tradition. Their willingness to resort to violence to achieve their goals aptly illustrates their pivot from advocacy to fanaticism. The author infuses characters such as Jimothy and Shelly, along with the submergist movement, with an intense passion in their beliefs despite how absurd they ultimately appear. The parallels between the Foragers and Submergist movements and activist movements in the real world are hard to ignore.

The rollicking novel is told from multiple perspectives, from Jimothy and Shelly to Faye, and is lively with each chapter. However, the narrative would be buoyed by additional backstory relating to the growth of the urban foraging movement and how Jimothy and Shelly came to be at the forefront.

Foragers is a book that manages to be both humorous and a little unsettling at times. The characters are multifaceted and dynamic. Author Jayke Luland fills this memorable story with lyrical prose, pop culture references, and a surprising climax.

 

 

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