Florida by Lauren Groff follows the lives of characters living in and around the Sunshine State. Told from both a human and naturalistic perspective, the novel examines the complexity of life in a rapidly changing state.
The main character, Florida “Flee” Sorensson, is a mother of three living in a small Florida town. Her husband has left her and her family’s house is falling apart. Forced to confront her crumbling circumstances, she makes a daring decision to move away from her hometown and try to start anew. As she navigates the travails of trying to make a new life for herself and her children, she is also witness to the changes that are taking place in the state. As development, environmental destruction, and strange new characters invade her once peaceful world, Flee must find a way to make sense of it all and provide stability for her family.
This is a novel that looks fearlessly at the effects of development and change on the people of Florida. Flee is without a doubt a unique character, and while a lot of her struggles may not be typical today, they will likely be shared by many Floridians in the future as the state continues to grow and change. For example, Flee’s experience living in two completely different worlds is one that so many people in Florida have gone through (or will go through) as the state continues its rapid transformation.
Parts of Florida by Lauren Groff are written from a naturalistic perspective. The near-mythic descriptions of the environment in Florida lend a supernatural air to the story. Bright and vivid descriptions of the ocean, the Everglades, and other natural wonders of the state help to set Florida apart from other settings. What’s more, the characters in the novel often reflect parts of the wildlife in Florida – from alligators to jellyfish, each animal represents a spirit of freedom that Flee is desperately searching for in the chaos of the world around her.
A unique aspect of the novel is its use of a nonlinear structure. Each chapter jumps forward or backward in time, making it difficult (and sometimes impossible) to tell what exactly is happening and when. While this can be frustrating to readers initially, it’s an intentional device used to emphasize the ever-changing nature of the world around Flee and all the people living in Florida. While the present may seem to stay the same, the past will always be close at hand, while the future continues to remain uncertain and unpredictable.
Ultimately, Florida by Lauren Groff is a story about resilience, acceptance, and finding solace in the face of uncertainty. While the struggles Flee faces may seem insurmountable at times, the novel ultimately shows that everyone, no matter the circumstance, can find the courage to take a stand for the life and future they imagine for themselves. In an ever-changing world, this is a sentiment many can relate to, and one that has come to define Groff’s work. By chronicling Flee’s journey, Groff fundamentally captures the transformation of Florida and all the wonders, big and small, that make it such a unique and diverse place.
