LemmiSchmoeker reviewed Hello America by J. G. Ballard
Review of 'Hello America' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
As usual, it is not the plot that drives this Ballard novel – it's the characters and, ultimately, their loneliness. The premise is (of course) grotesque: a hundred years after America has been abandoned, due to the growing environmental problems, an expedition returns to see if the continent could be recolonised. On their way from the East coast to the West coast, they encounter various leftovers – living and otherwise – and have enough time to themselves to find out what really drove them to join this expedition.
Ballard skilfully sets the scene and uses it to explore the individual members' motivations. It is not surprising that no-one is actually here to do the job they signed up for. It may be a little less obvious, though, that every character has basically the same reason. And, as slowly as inevitably, the grotesque turns into the philosophical.
