| Pages: | 234 pages |
| Dimensions: | 12.7 x 1.35 x 20.32 cm / 259g |
| Publisher: | Habitat Press |
| Date Published: | 17 November 2022 |
| ISBN-10: | 1739980360 |
| ISBN-13: | 978-1739980368 |
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What people have said about Visco
“A beautiful, dazzling and unique novel.” Professor Ian Gough, LSE and University of Bath.
“An ambitious and innovative novel that is impressive in both scope and subject matter.” Lorena Goldsmith, Literary Consultant.
“Quite unique. Clever, funny and uplifting.” Stephanie Heath.
“Really enjoyable. Beautiful, spare yet punchy writing style.” Elina Kivinen
“An ambitious work of literary fiction with wonderfully rounded and diverse characters.” Denise Baden, Green Stories.
About the author, David Fell
David Fell, the son of an immigrant, was raised on a blue-collar estate not far from Ford’s car plant at Dagenham. As a child he secretly chased lizards, read Dickens and wrote poetry. He benefited from the enlightened post-war state education policies of the 60s and 70s and secured a place to study economics at the University of Cambridge.
After graduating, he moved to London and initially pursued work as an economist. Inspired by the Earth Summit of 1992 he pivoted towards sustainable development and, in 1999, he co-founded the research consultancy Brook Lyndhurst. Twenty five-odd years later it’s still what he does for money, and he works on projects that are concerned, broadly, with social and environmental justice, and the human behavioural aspects of tackling the climate emergency.
David also enjoys cooking, carpentry, wine, the work of Georges Perec, rock and pop music, Greece, travelling by train, Beat Generation poetry, spending as much time as he can with his two adult sons, playing cards with his mum, and long walks and evenings at home with his partner. He has written hundreds of reports, dozens of articles and a few books (including the novel Visco). He still writes poetry (which means he’s been doing it for more than 50 years) and still gets excited if he sees a lizard, but he hasn’t read Dickens in years.
admin –
We may have visions of what a sustainable society might look like, but how could we possibly get there? This story imagines a giant music festival which allows free access to those who need care and their carers and designs a care-based mini-society. But they love it so much, no one wants to go home when the music stops. So they don’t! David brings to this novel all the knowledge he has gained in his years working as a sustainability consultant, and packages it with engaging characters and an exciting plot.
loiscd –
Visco is a rare gem of a book—climate fiction that actually feels hopeful.
What stood out most to me is how possible it all feels. This isn’t sci-fi with flying cars—it’s just people making smarter choices, facing new dilemmas, and doing their best.
If you’re looking for something different—something that gives you hope for the future without ignoring the hard stuff—Visco is well worth your time. I’m so glad I read it.
Chris –
Adopts a novel approach, and presents a plausible idea of how we can get from our present to a more sustainable society.
UDUAK EKPO –
Visco presents an interesting idea about what a community could look like if it was built around care.
The story follows Jo and Miranda as they help create an alternative community on the Isle of Sheppey. What begins with friendship and mutual care grows into something much bigger, bringing people together around cooperation, sustainability and a different way of living.
What stood out to me was the idea of building a community where people look out for one another rather than everything being driven by individual gain. It made me wonder: can a community built around care, support and cooperation really survive in a world that is also driven by profit?
That question is what made Visco interesting to me. We live in a system where many decisions are influenced by what is profitable, efficient or financially sustainable. Visco asks us to imagine what could happen if care became one of the things at the centre of how we organize society.
I also liked that the community in the story is not presented as perfect. It has its difficulties, arguments and uncertainties. That makes the idea feel less like a perfect fantasy and more like an experiment in trying to live differently.
This story is not simply about creating a sustainable community. It is about asking what we value and what happens when those values become the foundation of how people live together.
A community driven by care, support and cooperation may sound difficult to sustain in a world driven by profit, but this story invites us to ask whether we should stop assuming that profit has to be the centre of everything.
Sometimes, creating a different future starts with imagining what it could look like.