Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff CZM Book Club: The Clover Still Grows Wild in Wawanosh, by Kelly Rose Pflug-Back
Feb 22, 2026
A lush post-apocalyptic slice-of-life reading set in a communal compound. Medical worries and environmental contamination shape tense conversations. Theft, theft's consequences, and the ruins of a prison bring grief and ritualized mourning. Quiet acts of care, fear of helicopters, and secret nighttime visits reveal fragile loyalties. A haunting image of wild clover endures amid loss.
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Persistent Poison From The Wawanosh Spills
- The story frames long-term environmental contamination as ongoing and systemic rather than a one-time event.
- Dr. Hansen explains chemicals from the Wawanosh spills circulate through water and atmosphere, concentrating at poles and persisting in people born the year of the spills.
Holding Bones As Personal Memorials
- Mina scavenges in the ruined prison and treats found bone fragments as memorials, performing small rituals to remember the dead.
- She buries bone pieces on the third hill and draws blood from herself to show the dead they are not forgotten.
Coffee Theft Reveals Desperation And Tenderness
- Jean-Marc returns from the city with a stolen packet of coffee and teases Mina, revealing both his desperate bravado and the community's scarcity.
- Their evening turns domestic and tender as kids swarm them and Mina hides her painkillers from Flora.
