I love novels in which the author includes details that indicate that she really "gets" the character in her moment in time. The story was not at all ABOUT hair removal, but marking the passage of time with references TO different methods of bikini line maintenance was an incredible way of marking time and helped me relate to the character, even when our values or worldviews strayed from each other. The novel is a journey through time, from Bunny's teen years abroad in the 90's to the US in the 2050's. Bunny was infinitely human, imperfect but loveable and likable. I cared what happened to her. I keep thinking about the book, refelcting on Kiesling's ability to situate social comentary on the scaffolding of the life of a very specific girl growing up and growing older with very specific, but generationaly recognizable experiences over time.

Mobility is a spell blinding story of Elizabeth "Bunny" Glenn - the regular 1990's teenager who happens to be growing up in Azerbaijan via her families' foreign service contracts. The story bounds far and wide as we grow up with Bunny. The story is endearing and the characters are intriguing. The brilliance is achieved in the message and the demonstration of how one woman's choices can clearly assist with leading us to a climate disaster. If you love a spanning novel, geopolitics and a bit of nostalgia, Mobility is not to be missed!
#Zando #Mobility #LydiaKiesling\

Mobility by Lydia Kiesling is about how coming of age in the 21st century is a matter of choosing what systems you’ll be complicit in, and how those choices define you. 10/10 would recommend.

Mobility begins in the late 90s with teenage Elizabeth, whom everybody calls Bunny. Her father is a diplomat in Azerbaijan and Bunny in many ways reflects the life of a teenager in the 90s, with a little more oil and politics thrown in. Being similar in age to Bunny, I related to her quickly. The book carries us through Bunny’w life until middle age. We see her try and figure out her way and then make a career in the oil business and a life for herself. Her past often pops up in her present, presenting different conflicts throughout. In many ways Climate Change and environmental issues are secondary characters, always present and impacting the narrative but often dismissed. The book was very interesting.
I received an ARC from NetGalley.

I wanted to enjoy this one but I found the plot, story, and characterizations hard to follow and not really resonate the best for me at times.