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The Fall-Down Effect
Liz Johnston's eagerly anticipated debut novel traces the diverging fates of siblings Sylvia, Fern, and River from their late-1980s childhood in a small British Columbia logging town, where their mother Lynn's environmental activism sets them apart from the local community, to 2020, when a forest fire forces a fraught, baggage-filled family reunion.
As a child, Fern is the wild heart of her tree-hugging family—quick tempered and yearning to spend every minute in the woods. She is also most like Lynn, who chafes against the demands of motherhood and yearns for the protests of her youth. As tensions come to a head, Lynn leaves her partner Tom and their children, telling herself she's going to devote her life more fully to fighting for the earth.
At nineteen, Fern commits her own radical act of protest, which authorities label ecoterrorism. As she goes underground, her parents and siblings—responsible grad student Sylvia and budding artist River—struggle to make sense of her actions while also trying to cover up her absence. Fern's secret proves impossible to keep, and when she becomes a wanted woman, the rest of the family trades blame. Reverberations of Fern's crime follow the siblings well into adulthood, and when Lynn takes shelter from a forest fire in the house she left so many years before, the family is forced to confront their regrets.
Exploring protest, climate change, and fractured family relationships,
The Fall-Down Effect asks what we really owe people in our lives when we are fighting for a greater cause.
- GenresCanada
352 pages, Paperback
Published April 21, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Did Not Finish
April 10, 2026[Update April 10]
So done trying to read this...calling it a DNF. 😏
=========================================
I'm really struggling to read this one.
I understand that I've received an ARC and that it's not the final copy, BUT there are at least 3 spelling mistakes per page. The teacher in me is wondering if this was AI-written or not given to an editor at all....
I'll give this one more try this weekend when I'm a little more relaxed. If the author or publisher is reading this and wants to send me a more recent edited copy, I'd gladly accept it.
So bummed....😏🤨
So done trying to read this...calling it a DNF. 😏
=========================================
I'm really struggling to read this one.
I understand that I've received an ARC and that it's not the final copy, BUT there are at least 3 spelling mistakes per page. The teacher in me is wondering if this was AI-written or not given to an editor at all....
I'll give this one more try this weekend when I'm a little more relaxed. If the author or publisher is reading this and wants to send me a more recent edited copy, I'd gladly accept it.
So bummed....😏🤨
April 2, 2026
5/5 stars
I was pulled into the story with its vivid prose from the moment I picked it up. This stunning novel explores a complicated family through the interwoven perspectives of each family member over the span of decades. We start in 1989 where Tom and Lynn are raising their children: Sylvia, Fern and River somewhat unconventionally. As mostly retired climate activists, who are extremely environmentally conscious vegetarians homeschooling their kids, they have always seemed like outsiders in their small town.
Once more on the radical side Tom has mellowed but Lynn is nostalgic for the days when they were chaining themselves up in protest at logging sites. She finds herself resentful of motherhood thus she is a mostly selfish and immature parent to her growing children. Lynn also finds herself the most disliked person in town for being the kind of person who views their own opinion as the only right opinion.
Growing up in these conditions affects each child differently. Sylvia the eldest, ends up taking on more responsibility than she should from a young age. Fern the middle child, seems to mirror their mother Lynns extreme convictions that have been ingrained in them since birth. River the youngest is a sensitive artist who from a young age processes his families dynamics and the world through drawing.
When Lynn abandons their family everything changes and while in some ways it seems they have a more stable upbringing in her absence, there is still damage that runs deep throughout them all. From 1989-2020 we follow along as they all grow up and apart on different paths. Some more extreme than others.
The story is incredibly deep and also highlights conversations about the climate crisis. I really appreciated the realness of the characters. Things like the tense dynamic between Lynn and Sylvia didn’t just get a magically all better type ending. The “I heard you” of it all felt very real and true to the characters. I will be recommending this book to people I know enthusiastically and buying a copy upon release.
Thank you to NetGalley for the Advance Readers Copy of The Fall-Down Effect in exchange for my honest review.
I was pulled into the story with its vivid prose from the moment I picked it up. This stunning novel explores a complicated family through the interwoven perspectives of each family member over the span of decades. We start in 1989 where Tom and Lynn are raising their children: Sylvia, Fern and River somewhat unconventionally. As mostly retired climate activists, who are extremely environmentally conscious vegetarians homeschooling their kids, they have always seemed like outsiders in their small town.
Once more on the radical side Tom has mellowed but Lynn is nostalgic for the days when they were chaining themselves up in protest at logging sites. She finds herself resentful of motherhood thus she is a mostly selfish and immature parent to her growing children. Lynn also finds herself the most disliked person in town for being the kind of person who views their own opinion as the only right opinion.
Growing up in these conditions affects each child differently. Sylvia the eldest, ends up taking on more responsibility than she should from a young age. Fern the middle child, seems to mirror their mother Lynns extreme convictions that have been ingrained in them since birth. River the youngest is a sensitive artist who from a young age processes his families dynamics and the world through drawing.
When Lynn abandons their family everything changes and while in some ways it seems they have a more stable upbringing in her absence, there is still damage that runs deep throughout them all. From 1989-2020 we follow along as they all grow up and apart on different paths. Some more extreme than others.
The story is incredibly deep and also highlights conversations about the climate crisis. I really appreciated the realness of the characters. Things like the tense dynamic between Lynn and Sylvia didn’t just get a magically all better type ending. The “I heard you” of it all felt very real and true to the characters. I will be recommending this book to people I know enthusiastically and buying a copy upon release.
Thank you to NetGalley for the Advance Readers Copy of The Fall-Down Effect in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5 ⭐
This book brings in so much reality most people don't even think of on a regular basis! From the family drama and its effects in the future to how we impact the environment, it was just beautiful.
This book really shows how one decision can change your whole future. Not just you but your family and friends. How it changes their behavior and how they think. Fern is so impulsive you never know where she will take you.
The Fall-Down Effect really made me think about my own impact on nature and I hope it helps people recognize their own too. It is not put lightly just how much our world needs us and I applaud the author for that.
Overall, an amazing read.
This book brings in so much reality most people don't even think of on a regular basis! From the family drama and its effects in the future to how we impact the environment, it was just beautiful.
This book really shows how one decision can change your whole future. Not just you but your family and friends. How it changes their behavior and how they think. Fern is so impulsive you never know where she will take you.
The Fall-Down Effect really made me think about my own impact on nature and I hope it helps people recognize their own too. It is not put lightly just how much our world needs us and I applaud the author for that.
Overall, an amazing read.
May 15, 2026
This is another book and author featured at the recent @vancouverwritersfest Books and Ideas event, The Next Bestsellers.
Terrific read that combines and blends themes of environmentalism, climate change, families, the impetuousness of youth, protest, siblings, the environmental harms of capitalism and more!
I loved the settings for this book, in towns and forests of BC’s interior, places I’ve spent time in.
Such a well-written book that resonated deeply with me. A story that pulled me in to connect my own life choices, values and experiences (as a child, as a student, as a mother, as a sibling…) with many of the characters in the book.
Terrific read that combines and blends themes of environmentalism, climate change, families, the impetuousness of youth, protest, siblings, the environmental harms of capitalism and more!
I loved the settings for this book, in towns and forests of BC’s interior, places I’ve spent time in.
Such a well-written book that resonated deeply with me. A story that pulled me in to connect my own life choices, values and experiences (as a child, as a student, as a mother, as a sibling…) with many of the characters in the book.
April 30, 2026
Reading The Fall-Down Effect as a mother, as a sibling, as an individual who does my best (but not nearly enough) for the climate, I am sitting in so many thoughts.
First, I love books that examine the objectification of women. Unlike men, who are defined by what they do, women are still (in 2026!) defined by whether they are, or are not, a mother. I had a lot of feelings about Lynn but understanding that she didn’t really want to be a mother, I had to ask myself, what does a woman do with her own subjectivity (queer climate activist), when to the world she is first (and only) a mother. The Fall-Down Effect had me thinking a lot about this. If you do choose to become a mother (as a free-thinking, autonomous individual) what do you owe the children you brought into the world? At which point do they become individuals responsible for their own care, their own actions?
As a sibling, I was emotionally engaged with the dynamic among Sylvia, Fern and River, kids brought into the world by climate activist parents (surprising yes), who try their best to survive their mother’s abandonment, but what do you do when one sibling decides to throw everything into climate activism, causing actual and emotional harm. Johnston does an amazing job with the structure, set-up as a fluid and easy multi-voiced narrative that gives us everyone’s perspective, I think every reader will feel more connected to one or the other. It’s Fern for me – even though she makes some uneasy decisions.
As someone who cares about the planet, it’s obvious I am not doing enough. The Fall-Down Effect has me asking myself, what exactly am I willing to do to flip the current script? The world is full of indifference and denial, what difference does protest make? Reading this, I am left knowing I can do more and am determined to do so.
I hope everyone reads this book.
First, I love books that examine the objectification of women. Unlike men, who are defined by what they do, women are still (in 2026!) defined by whether they are, or are not, a mother. I had a lot of feelings about Lynn but understanding that she didn’t really want to be a mother, I had to ask myself, what does a woman do with her own subjectivity (queer climate activist), when to the world she is first (and only) a mother. The Fall-Down Effect had me thinking a lot about this. If you do choose to become a mother (as a free-thinking, autonomous individual) what do you owe the children you brought into the world? At which point do they become individuals responsible for their own care, their own actions?
As a sibling, I was emotionally engaged with the dynamic among Sylvia, Fern and River, kids brought into the world by climate activist parents (surprising yes), who try their best to survive their mother’s abandonment, but what do you do when one sibling decides to throw everything into climate activism, causing actual and emotional harm. Johnston does an amazing job with the structure, set-up as a fluid and easy multi-voiced narrative that gives us everyone’s perspective, I think every reader will feel more connected to one or the other. It’s Fern for me – even though she makes some uneasy decisions.
As someone who cares about the planet, it’s obvious I am not doing enough. The Fall-Down Effect has me asking myself, what exactly am I willing to do to flip the current script? The world is full of indifference and denial, what difference does protest make? Reading this, I am left knowing I can do more and am determined to do so.
I hope everyone reads this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Historical and contemporary fiction blend themselves in this family story of family trauma, obsession, and climate change. Nicely written and plotted, the book asks the questions: where does loyalty lie: with the family or the world? What do we owe: personal loyalty or loyalty to a greater cause?
The book is set over three periods of time: 1988, 2001, and 2020. A family has moved further from the city in lit the interior of British Columbia. The parents, Lynn and Tom, once Vancouver radicals, are at odds over how much radicalism is permitted. The mother is very committed while the father not so much any more. This sets up the family conflict but the mother clings her rage to save the earth and continues to protest. And then there are the three children: Sylvia (responsible), Fern (activist) and River (artist). In 2001 now grown up, Sylvia is a graduate student in forestry, Fern is following in her mother’s footsteps and River is painting trees. When Fern commits a radical act and flees, those left behind cover for her but then secrets start be uncovered and police are involved, yet the family still holds for Fern. In 2020 it’s COVID. An evacuation due to a forest fire reassembles the family whose dynamics have changed but Fern has not returned.
This is a character driven story. The shifting points of view in the story give a variety of interpretations for events. The “life-shattering” event in the story is about saving the world but it wrecks the family. Yet the family remains loyal to Fern which might seem off putting to some on the more conservative side, but here in the book it’s a recognition of their love. The ending is kind of beautiful. The love of family and forest live in.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Book*Hug Press for allowing me to read this ARC.
The book is set over three periods of time: 1988, 2001, and 2020. A family has moved further from the city in lit the interior of British Columbia. The parents, Lynn and Tom, once Vancouver radicals, are at odds over how much radicalism is permitted. The mother is very committed while the father not so much any more. This sets up the family conflict but the mother clings her rage to save the earth and continues to protest. And then there are the three children: Sylvia (responsible), Fern (activist) and River (artist). In 2001 now grown up, Sylvia is a graduate student in forestry, Fern is following in her mother’s footsteps and River is painting trees. When Fern commits a radical act and flees, those left behind cover for her but then secrets start be uncovered and police are involved, yet the family still holds for Fern. In 2020 it’s COVID. An evacuation due to a forest fire reassembles the family whose dynamics have changed but Fern has not returned.
This is a character driven story. The shifting points of view in the story give a variety of interpretations for events. The “life-shattering” event in the story is about saving the world but it wrecks the family. Yet the family remains loyal to Fern which might seem off putting to some on the more conservative side, but here in the book it’s a recognition of their love. The ending is kind of beautiful. The love of family and forest live in.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Book*Hug Press for allowing me to read this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Love in a World on Fire
How did the book make me feel/think?
The world is in flux. The climate is changing. Giant corporations consume resources for profit — resources that fuel economies and provide the lives we’ve grown accustomed to, enjoy, and desire.
A conundrum. Something has to give. Or else — a world on fire.
It’s already on fire.
The Fall Down Effect is more than a story about stopping logging. It follows Tom and Liz and their children — Fern, River, and the outlier Sylvia — across decades of environmental activism. But at its core, it is a generational love story. Once the timbre of the pages settles in, you’re hooked.
At first, I resisted the activism. I questioned the methods. Many will. But as the story deepened, so did my understanding. I don’t agree with all the tactics — yet I’ve come to see how fortunate we are to have people angry enough to speak for the planet. Without them, we might drift in a comfortable fog, waiting for someone else to act.
The novel doesn’t romanticize protest. Stop logging — yes. But what about the livelihoods intertwined with it? Relationships become casualties. Families strain. Movements evolve. The struggle between consumption and ethics, right and wrong, greed and morality isn’t theoretical — it’s intimate.
What lingers is the love. However fractured the characters become, love never fully leaves. Nor does the need for people to live their truth while trying to make sense of a destabilizing world.
How much time do we have left?
We are lucky there are people willing to risk comfort — and conflict — to find the right mixture of protest to make a difference for all.
WRITTEN: 22 February 2026
How did the book make me feel/think?
The world is in flux. The climate is changing. Giant corporations consume resources for profit — resources that fuel economies and provide the lives we’ve grown accustomed to, enjoy, and desire.
A conundrum. Something has to give. Or else — a world on fire.
It’s already on fire.
The Fall Down Effect is more than a story about stopping logging. It follows Tom and Liz and their children — Fern, River, and the outlier Sylvia — across decades of environmental activism. But at its core, it is a generational love story. Once the timbre of the pages settles in, you’re hooked.
At first, I resisted the activism. I questioned the methods. Many will. But as the story deepened, so did my understanding. I don’t agree with all the tactics — yet I’ve come to see how fortunate we are to have people angry enough to speak for the planet. Without them, we might drift in a comfortable fog, waiting for someone else to act.
The novel doesn’t romanticize protest. Stop logging — yes. But what about the livelihoods intertwined with it? Relationships become casualties. Families strain. Movements evolve. The struggle between consumption and ethics, right and wrong, greed and morality isn’t theoretical — it’s intimate.
What lingers is the love. However fractured the characters become, love never fully leaves. Nor does the need for people to live their truth while trying to make sense of a destabilizing world.
How much time do we have left?
We are lucky there are people willing to risk comfort — and conflict — to find the right mixture of protest to make a difference for all.
WRITTEN: 22 February 2026
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What does an activist owe to her loved ones as compared with her righteous cause? Should compromise ever be considered when the future of the planet is at stake? And how can love survive in a family warped by sudden renunciation and long absence? These are the questions at the heart of The Fall-Down Effect, Liz Johnston’s assured and quietly profound debut novel.
Johnston’s narrative moves briskly yet feels painterly, deftly evoking small-town resentments, the inner lives of characters, the inner life of the stunning, complex landscape. The rotating point of view gives the reader access to multiple interpretations of events, as a kaleidoscope reveals fresh patterns with each turn. The novel’s character development across decades feels true. But beyond these technical achievements, The Fall-Down Effect presents a life-shattering event set in motion by a desire to save the world from the existential crisis of our time. For that reason alone, I hope it finds many readers.
I was swept up in this story. Highly recommend!
Full review here: https://alllitup.ca/afterword-liz-joh...
Johnston’s narrative moves briskly yet feels painterly, deftly evoking small-town resentments, the inner lives of characters, the inner life of the stunning, complex landscape. The rotating point of view gives the reader access to multiple interpretations of events, as a kaleidoscope reveals fresh patterns with each turn. The novel’s character development across decades feels true. But beyond these technical achievements, The Fall-Down Effect presents a life-shattering event set in motion by a desire to save the world from the existential crisis of our time. For that reason alone, I hope it finds many readers.
I was swept up in this story. Highly recommend!
Full review here: https://alllitup.ca/afterword-liz-joh...
Review of advance copy received from Author
WOW. Liz Johnston’s The Fall-Down Effect is a masterpiece that left me shattered when I flipped to the acknowledgements page, realizing I had reached the end of her smashing climate fiction debut.
Johnston writes beautifully about a family ecosystem as fractured as the forests they long to save. She traces their lives stretching apart and towards each other over decades in the Pacific Northwest, illustrating environmental devastation and fraught relationships rooted in a place as striking—and difficult to preserve—as B.C’s interior.
Johnston’s brilliance shines through the book’s multi-POV as decisions about each’s dedication to environmentalism render the family forever changed, leaving readers questioning what it means to fight for a planet on fire, live a good life and love one another in the face of it all.
Review & interview with the author forthcoming in The Ontarion! Thank you, thank you to Liz, Selena Mercuri (Publicist) and Book*hug Press for this work of Canadian literary gold!
Johnston writes beautifully about a family ecosystem as fractured as the forests they long to save. She traces their lives stretching apart and towards each other over decades in the Pacific Northwest, illustrating environmental devastation and fraught relationships rooted in a place as striking—and difficult to preserve—as B.C’s interior.
Johnston’s brilliance shines through the book’s multi-POV as decisions about each’s dedication to environmentalism render the family forever changed, leaving readers questioning what it means to fight for a planet on fire, live a good life and love one another in the face of it all.
Review & interview with the author forthcoming in The Ontarion! Thank you, thank you to Liz, Selena Mercuri (Publicist) and Book*hug Press for this work of Canadian literary gold!
May 16, 2026
This book has two topics that can be tenuous for me: Environment and COVID. I have no problems with either as themes, however, I am very critical of how both are portrayed. I hate hypocrisy.
Both were well done in this book. The environmental conversations are naturally and fluidly highlighted through the story of a family with activist roots. It highlights those dangers that come with going too far with activism.
I never did like Lynn......I do not feel anything for her personal and internal struggles of herself. This hurt my love of the book a bit as the author spent time validating her story and I very much disliked her.
My enjoyment of Fern and the character she is never waned, similar with River. Sylvia was an important character who did not draw my feelings too much but I felt like her character was integral.
This is much more than just an environmental book. It highlights nature, it shows family in the truest sense of the word and its plot, while not fast and action packed moved forward throughout the book.
Both were well done in this book. The environmental conversations are naturally and fluidly highlighted through the story of a family with activist roots. It highlights those dangers that come with going too far with activism.
I never did like Lynn......I do not feel anything for her personal and internal struggles of herself. This hurt my love of the book a bit as the author spent time validating her story and I very much disliked her.
My enjoyment of Fern and the character she is never waned, similar with River. Sylvia was an important character who did not draw my feelings too much but I felt like her character was integral.
This is much more than just an environmental book. It highlights nature, it shows family in the truest sense of the word and its plot, while not fast and action packed moved forward throughout the book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Is it my own indoctrination by the patriarchy that I couldn't get over Lynn abandoning her children? I tried really hard to get there but ultimately gave up so that I could focus on the rest of the story. I did enjoy the development of Fern, Sylvia, and River. I wish more of the story had focused on that. The title is explained late in the book and I liked the potential symbolism with the kids, but again I come back to wanting more about the kids and their growth. With the novel having 3 different timelines and jumping from one to the other with big gaps in between, there was a lot of room for more. I liked what I got. It was thoughtful and engaging, but I wanted more!
Thanks to NetGalley and Literary Press Group of Canada for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
Thanks to NetGalley and Literary Press Group of Canada for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
“The Fall-Down Effect” is a captivating debut novel by Liz Johnston, following a family in a small mountain town over the course of thirty-one years. Right from the start, each member of this family jumped off the page, immersing myself into their lives in the Pacific Northwest. Johnston does a wonderful job of letting us sit with each character before sending us off into their future, seeing how the past continuously molds who they become.
Leaving me wanting more, I will be eagerly awaiting future projects from Johnston. Thank you to NetGalley and Book*hug Press for an eARC of this beautiful, moving story.
Leaving me wanting more, I will be eagerly awaiting future projects from Johnston. Thank you to NetGalley and Book*hug Press for an eARC of this beautiful, moving story.
April 27, 2026
A lovely debut title. Ticks all my (imaginary) boxes: nature (climate change), small town & rural, identity, community, family, and especially family dynamics. I also like the way that it also challenges the myth of motherhood - conceptions of what a “good” mother is, and the idea that mothers are still as often as not defined by that role of all of the many hats they may wear.
Recommended read.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me access to an early digital review copy.
Recommended read.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me access to an early digital review copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Quick and easy read, but it wasn't satisfying for me.
I believe Fern is more or less the most interesting character, but I feel like we get to know her very little, and there is very little resolution to the stories of the characters. We get told where they are in 3 different years but don't really get much information on how they got there.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and Book*hug Press for the ARC.
I believe Fern is more or less the most interesting character, but I feel like we get to know her very little, and there is very little resolution to the stories of the characters. We get told where they are in 3 different years but don't really get much information on how they got there.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and Book*hug Press for the ARC.
April 25, 2026
This book was interesting as I’m captivated by those brave enough to fight for what seems like a losing battle of the protection of our Earth; however, when activism of any kind becomes too extreme, morals shift. What is the line between passion, activism, obsession, and danger?
While these questions were explored, the structure of this book with massive jumps in time was a bit distracting. I wanted more from the end!
While these questions were explored, the structure of this book with massive jumps in time was a bit distracting. I wanted more from the end!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Fantastic book about protest, climate change, and what it takes to take action. 5 stars. tysm for the E-ARC.
May 8, 2026
Thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful work of eco-realism!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews