Acceptance is the last book in the Southern Reach Trilogy, written by Jeff VanderMeer. The book was published on September 2, 2014 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Differing from the previous books, the story is not told by the perspective of one single protagonist; rather, it follows the points of view of four different characters from the trilogy: Ghost Bird and Control, Gloria and Saul Evans.
Plot Summary[]
- Main article: Timeline of Acceptance
"It is winter in Area X, the mysterious wilderness that has defied explanation for thirty years, rebuffing expedition after expedition, refusing to reveal its secrets. As Area X expands, the agency tasked with investigating and overseeing it—the Southern Reach—has collapsed on itself in confusion. Now one last, desperate team crosses the border, determined to reach a remote island that may hold the answers they've been seeking. If they fail, the outer world is in peril.
Meanwhile, Acceptance tunnels ever deeper into the circumstances surrounding the creation of Area X—what initiated this unnatural upheaval? Among the many who have tried, who has gotten close to understanding Area X—and who may have been corrupted by it?
In this last installment of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy, the mysteries of Area X may be solved, but their consequences and implications are no less profound—or terrifying."
Characters[]
The characters who appear in Acceptance are set in different points in time. Ghost Bird and Control are set in the present, Gloria is set some time before the 12th expedition, while Saul's perspective is prior to the Event that culminated in Area X.
Characters set in the present time[]
- Ghost Bird - The biologist's doppelganger and now one of the main characters of the story. After escaping from Central, she goes back to Area X searching for answers. She has a friendly relationship with Control and carries many characteristics from the biologist.
- Control - The protagonist of the previous book, he travels alongside Ghost Bird while exploring Area X for the first time.
- Grace Stevenson - The Assistant Director of the Southern Reach. She has been exploring Area X for longer than Ghost Bird and Control and tells them important information about the nature of the place.
Characters set in the past[]
- Gloria - Previously known as the psychologist of the twelfth expedition, formerly the Director of the Southern Reach. Many secrets of her past are revealed in this book. She had personal motivations to become part of the Southern Reach and investigate the region dominated by Area X.
- Saul Evans - The mysterious man seen in a photograph, he used to be the lighthouse keeper. He lived in the forgotten coast looking for solitude, and has an important role in the story as he was one of the first people in contact with what started the mutations in the lighthouse.
- Whitby Allen - The scientist who is first introduced in the previous book is back in Acceptance, now it is revealed that he got in contact with Area X at a certain point, which might explain some of his strange behaviour.
Trivia[]
- Two months after its release, Acceptance was re-released as part of a single edition of the Southern Reach Trilogy.
Gallery[]
| MEDIA |
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| Books Annihilation • Authority • Acceptance • Absolution |
| Compilations Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy |
| Adaptations Annihilation (movie) |