Literature Review
The First Day of Peace is the utopia towards which humanity is trying to move. A few hundred thousand emissaries travel across a planet dotted with arid zones and no man’s lands, a world ravaged by climate change, at the end of the 21st century .
The ecological shift that took place generated its share of conflicts over resources, mainly water; vast migratory flows concentrated in two major periods – the 1st and 2nd Exodus – caused a demographic collapse on a planetary scale.
The two billion surviving human beings coped by reshaping the world into four Great Territories—West, East, South, and America—nicknamed the Jitis. And while major global conflicts were thus quelled, and demilitarization and nuclear disarmament were finally achieved, pockets of violence persist where small communities clinging to their dying lands try to preserve a degree of autonomy…
Once this context is established, Elisa Beiram’s novel essentially follows two female characters: an emissary who travels the world resolving some micro intra- and inter-community conflicts, and the negotiator, in charge of getting the four Jitis to sign a universal peace agreement.
The entire first part of the story, devoted to the emissary Esfir, presents a resolutely optimistic vision of a post-apocalyptic future where everyone ends up loving each other. For the men and women of the world to stop fighting, all they need to do is calmly explain that conflict is bad and that peace is much nicer… In this feel-good opening based on non-violent communication that attempts to pacify humankind with a generous dose of good intentions, it can be difficult to maintain the necessary suspension of disbelief! But if you’re willing to accept the concept, the story proves to be a pleasant read, well-written, in a fluid style, where moderate action gives way to the characters’ introspections. Cozy science fiction .
Yes, but here’s the thing: The First Day of Peace is one of those “twist-turn novels” where the reader’s perspective shifts radically following a major, albeit unexpected, event somewhere around page one hundred. Let’s not say more about this twist, so as not to spoil the reading experience, but the second part, which this time focuses primarily on the work of América Pérez—the negotiator—gives a new dimension to a story that, until then, seemed to be struggling to get off the ground. Science fiction truly makes its appearance, and we (finally) want to know how it all ends!
The characters’ mindsets become more complex, the plot thickens, and we understand that the central question of the narrative will be what a first day of peace might look like , whether it will be possible to achieve it and by what means, and above all: what will the success or failure of this endeavor entail? The answer will be something cosmic and immeasurable…
It is worth noting that Elisa Beiram offers at the end of the book a ” selected bibliography ” which allows us to better understand how this idea of the first day of peace took shape in her mind.
A world away from cyberpunk and post-apocalypse, this is a book that innovates and perhaps deserves the label of ireno-fiction… An interesting reflection on the concept of universal peace.
Significance of the Study
This is a post-apocalyptic novel where humans have gradually destroyed the planet and live scattered wherever they can, plagued by a lack of water and food. And they continue, of course, to fight amongst themselves. The great powers of Earth are now represented only by “Great Territories.”
It’s marketed as a Becky Chambers-like novel , but be warned, I find it quite far from positive science fiction. While the ending is indeed intended to be hopeful, most of the book is rather depressing. The optimistic aspect lies in the hopes and beliefs of a few prominent characters who believe in peace and make great efforts to achieve it. We follow the narrative, too disjointed for my taste, of several characters who offer different perspectives on what can happen on this earth.
The story opens with Auréliano, an old man living in a small village, surrounded by people fighting and killing each other. He counts the dead, and he’s had enough of it all. He isolates himself as much as possible, on a beach where he collects odds and ends and builds what will become a mausoleum. We then follow emissaries whose role is to travel the world to resolve conflicts, both small and international, with the hope of a real peace treaty and a united people.
While the idea seemed fascinating, I found the execution lacking in a real plot and, above all, cohesion. The whole thing is rather disjointed, and consequently, paradoxically, too long. It feels more like a collection of unfinished stories, without any real connection between them. The text is also very short, making it difficult to connect with the characters. The focus is on the characters’ inner thoughts, but I struggled with the writing style and found some passages repetitive.
Ultimately, I missed the point of this novel, and I confess I almost gave up. I ended up finishing it by skimming the last few chapters, especially since I was even less enthusiastic about the final part, which felt completely out of place. It loses its realism, and that’s where I completely lost interest.
It’s a shame because the themes explored are interesting, and I think it’s essential to reflect on them, especially given the current state of our society. The text has great qualities in this respect. However, even though the novel is poignant in its message, that wasn’t enough for me; it lacked a real plot, a more developed story to tie everything together.
I certainly wasn’t the right audience for this kind of text, but I completely understand why it resonated with others, as evidenced by the reviews you’ll find further down in this post. Perhaps it wasn’t the right time to read it (I wasn’t feeling great, I must admit, which might explain why I focused on the depressing aspects…). Who knows, maybe I’ll give it another try someday!
With The First Day of Peace , Elisa Beiram breathes life into the hope of utopia amidst the sweltering heat of the fall literary season. A dense, clever, and highly successful novel that soothes and calls to action. The breath of fresh air we’ve been waiting for.
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