Flood of Forces : A thematic analysis of the novel Fallvatten by Mikael Niemi from an ecocritical, ecofeministic and a postcolonial perspective

Our times of ecological disasters and climate crisis inspired the author Mikael Niemi to write the novel Fallvatten (2012). The narrative deals with what happens when a dam in a hydro-electric power plant bursts, and creates a tsunami-like flood. The purpose with my essay was to make a thematic analysis of this novel from an ecocritical, ecofeministic and postcolonial perspective. The genre and its importance for the themes and the shaping of the novel were also noticed in the essay. My questions were: Does the author use an ecocritical, ecofeministic and a postcolonial approach in the novel? If he does, how is that shaped in the narrative? Is the story adversarial to civilization and/or technology? Is Fallvatten an ironic novel? If it is, what is the irony about? What are the characteristics of the genre ecothriller, and why can the novel be placed in this genre? How does the genre influence the themes used and development of the story? By using the method of close-reading I have made a thematic analysis of the novel Fallvatten, with a theoretical frame of ecocriticism, ecofeminism and postcolionial theory. The results of the analysis demonstrated that this novel can be regarded as an ecocritical, ecofeministic and postcolonial “rewriting”. In the narrative nature is personified and depicted as an active agent who takes vengeance on humanity’s greed. The author is deconstructing dichotomies and stereotypes about the view of both gender and nature. He is also depicting the Sami cultural identity as hybrid and heterogeneous. Fallvatten can be placed in the genre of ecothriller, because the environment is a premise for the story and it also includes an intense and increasing suspense. The genre has enabled the author to create a polyphonic and rhapsodic novel containing several protagonists with a variety of points of view. In the story, the protagonist´s personal problems get exposed, and forces of good and evil within them reveals, trough their encounter with the disaster. Fallvatten might be adversarial to civilization, but not to technology. In the story technology is depicted positively and it often seems to be indispensable. The narrative contains several Bible-references, which seems to be meant as a parody. But I don´t consider Fallvatten to be an ironic novel. Instead, I see it as a seriously meant story written with a sense of humor and with an ironical tone. I believe the author handles weighty subject matters in the novel with humor and irreverence because it works in a subversive way, with an ecocritical, ecofeministic and an anticolonial aim.