Pearce Oysters

This was recommended by several readers whose taste I trust; it's a family saga that plays out against the backdrop of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Pearce family business is oyster farming: they've made for living for decades bringing their in-demand product to market. But when the explosion occurs, it brings their long-simmering personal crises to a boiling point, and creates chaos and despair in the broader community. While I was interested in matriarch May and her two grown sons, this story really shone for its detailed portrayal of the oil spill from the perspective of coastal Louisianans and its impact on the local communities. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Xavier Casals.