Singaporean author's adventure novel shines a light on climate change

SINGAPORE,Aug. 16,2021 -- Climate change is a hot topic in Singapore. But few Singaporeans have championed the cause through fiction. Until now. Vasanth Seshadri,founder of advertising agency The Sunny Side and an author by night,has added his voice to the conversation through his new adventure novel,The People from Beyond the Mountains,now available on Amazon in both e-bookand paperback.

It takes place in a fictional world that's an allegory for our very real world. Without spoilers,it follows the journey of a 12-year-old girl who ventures beyond the forbidden mountains north of her village. She goes there to find out about the mysterious people who are entering her village from beyond those mountains. But she finds out so much more. The lessons she learns about climate change,sustainability and responsible economic development are relevant not only to her village,but also to all of us in the real world.

As for why the author chose fiction as a shot in the battle against climate change,he says,"Humans have always been a storytelling species. Be it the Bible,Aesop's Fables or the Mahabharata,we have always used parables and allegories to communicate moral values. That's how I believe we should cut through the clutter and communicate messages of sustainability and climate change. Otherwise,there's a danger that we become part of the background noise and people just filter us out in this era of notoriously short attention spans."

The author believes that despite the protagonist of the story being a child,it's grownups who need its messages much more. He says,"My 12-year-old protagonist represents the future. She has the right to hold the grownups accountable so that we leave the world in a better state for her generation and those who come after her. It's grownups who are today's decision-makers in various fields. They are the ones I aim to touch through this story."

Singapore is already proving itself to be pivotal in the world's fight against climate change. The recently-opened Sembcorp Tengeh Floating Solar Farm and the upcoming Climate Impact X (CIX) global carbon exchange and marketplace are just two examples of how the tiny country is punching above its weight in climate change mitigation. Perhaps the nascent field of climate fiction is one more way in which Singapore can make a difference.

The People from Beyond the Mountains is available on Amazon in both e-book and paperback.

E-book link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09C38C5G5

Paperback link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BY81SNV