Local author imagines dystopian Phoenix of the future in new novel

Phoenix-based author Kelly Lydick presents a dystopian vision of the Valley in her new eco-futurism science fiction novel, “Everything That’s Left Behind.” The story takes place after a near civilization-ending environmental disaster known as “The Great Drought.” We follow Nichola Rodale, a member of the new government’s resource control task force, as she navigates her moral obligations and beliefs, all while trying to uncover what actually happened to her scientist father before he died. Ripe with environmental consciousness, the book allows readers to consider what might happen if we don’t protect our planet. In the author’s own words, “What happens when we become the stewards of our planet, and what happens when we don’t?” 

Changing Hands Bookstore’s Phoenix location hosted Lydick at an author event last month. During the event, she read excerpts from “Everything That’s Left Behind” and answered readers’ questions about the book and her writing process. 

Lydick’s journey with the novel began in 2015 when she attended the Imagination and Climate Futures Initiative, a joint conference with ASU’s creative writing department and the Center for Imagination. What started as a 200-word writing prompt response turned into a short story and then a novella before eventually becoming a full-fledged novel. 

“It was this awkward word length of 10,000 words, then 12,000 words,” Lydick explained to the crowd. “Then at one point I asked another colleague, ‘What do I do with this? It’s really too long to be a short story, not quite a novella, but it’s really compelling.’ And she said, ‘Well, guess you’re going to write a novel.’” 

This writing process was finished in 2021 when Lydick took a three-day retreat to Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center, where a majority of the book was completed. She decided to self-publish the story, and it was finally released to the public this past June.  

“Everything That’s Left Behind” creates a thought-provoking image of a futuristic Phoenix still clinging to life in a world destroyed by fracking and environmental decay. Rich with imagery, Lydick paints a love letter to the desert with beautiful descriptions of local landmarks. 

The story moves along without feeling rushed, but rather walking briskly toward the climax. Lydick does a good job of introducing the story’s “villain” and setting up the stakes that our main character and her newfound allies are facing. With switched-perspective third-person storytelling, the audience is rarely left in the dark about characters’ motivations, which creates compelling character arcs but ultimately removes some elements of suspense.

Though the lengthy inner monologues that reveal the characters’ thoughts help to move the plot forward, the direct explanations often bogged down the text and, at times, can take the reader out of the story. These elements would likely be better served with more dialogue and direct interactions between key characters. 

Overall, Lydick created a moving story about grief and environmental consciousness, asking us all to take better care of our planet. For Phoenicians, this novel wraps up the beauty of our city and the care we must take to protect it in a carefully crafted package. With the story ending on a cliffhanger, audiences can look forward to the sequel, although currently no release date has been announced.