I enjoyed Bump's debut Everywhere You Don't Belong. It wasn't a perfect book, but it showed so much potential that when I saw the author's sophomore effort was on the way, I had to snag a copy.

The premise of a young Black couple starting an isolated utopian community really pulled me in. Like Everywhere You Don't Belong, The New Naturals highlights Bump's knack for language, clever turns of phrases tucked between melodic prose that consistently move the story forward. One of my favorite things about Bump's debut was the characters. Unfortunately, none of these characters stuck with me the way that Nugget, Paul, or Claude's grandmother did, but that's not to say that these characters are not also well-crafted. They just can't compare to their predecessors.

The New Naturals is a novel that seems to brush against something wonderful, but never really digs down into it. Perhaps this just comes with the satirical nature of the writing, but even the satire seems underdeveloped in this story. I feel like there's a nugget of brilliance here that doesn't quite develop. This is most evident, in my opinion, in all the various threads that are introduced and just seem to dangle loosely--entire storylines that just end, connections that aren't quite made.

Though I didn't love The New Naturals, I see some of that same potential I saw in Everywhere.... I'm hopeful that the next book will be the one that really brings all the magic together.

It’s not hard to imagine how the main characters move from ‘regular fears’ to the need for a bunker. With climate change, massive pandemics and political turmoil this type of decisions may become more commonplace. The central question the book asks, is when do we create our own prisons? Worth the read.