It Could Happen Here — CZM Book Club: "Because Change Was the Ocean and We Lived by Her Mercy," by Charlie Jane Anders, Part Two

Host: Margaret Killjoy
Podcast: Cool Zone Media Book Club (It Could Happen Here)
Episode Date: January 25, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode is the second part of Margaret Killjoy’s reading and reflective discussion of "Because Change Was the Ocean and We Lived by Her Mercy," a short story by Charlie Jane Anders. The story, set in a flooded, post-climate-apocalypse San Francisco, follows a tight-knit, queer collective as they grapple with personal conflict, survival, shifting loyalties, and the emotional residue of community life on the edge. Margaret shares both the story's continuation and a personal, candid response to its themes of loss, change, nostalgia, and perseverance after collapse.

Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

1. A Community in Crisis and Change

(02:51–06:00)

• The episode resumes with the aftermath of the community’s desperate barter with armed farmers for food, leaving some members behind as collateral labor.
• The narrator reflects: “I kept remembering myself walking away from those farmers… I had thought that being here on this island meant that the only past that mattered was the grand, mysterious, rebellious history… until suddenly I had no mental energy for anything but replaying those two memories, uglier each time around.”
• Internal group tension intensifies as loyalties fracture, particularly between the narrator and Miranda, leading to an emotional confrontation and Miranda’s retreat from the relationship.

2. Social Splits and Aftermath

(06:00–11:00)

• Gossip and factions arise: people tell the narrator “I’m on your side,” as others rally around Miranda.
• “After that, everybody was on my side. The honeymoon was over, but the marriage was just starting.” (09:22)
• The narrator turns to old friends via social media, bridging the gap between old and new life, and ponders leaving the island.

3. Moments of Respite and Bonding

(13:33–15:30)

• Reconciliation comes quietly through shared rituals—sitting on the shore, “hold[ing] hands,” and feeling “like the heart of our community was restored.”
• The narrator finds solitary peace exploring the ruins of San Francisco: “I sat there in the middle of the city, a few miles from anyone, and felt totally peaceful.” (15:00)
• A rare evening of collective joy, music, and intimacy follows: “half of us some level of naked, and everybody looked radiant and free…I had this feeling like maybe the honeymoon is over, but the marriage is just beginning.” (15:50)

4. Return to Reality: What Was Lost

(15:50–18:30)

• Attempting to retrieve those left behind with the farmers, the group finds only absence: “Our friends had run away, the farmer said…left the work half done. We never found out what actually happened to Wao and the others.”
• A moment of silent, communal grief; “I watched Yokanda’s face pass through shock, anger, misery, and resignation…”

5. Personal Evolution and Letting Go

(21:25–25:00)

• The narrator reflects on their changing identity and relationships: “I realized I’d already decided to leave San Francisco a while ago without ever consciously making the decision.”
• Nostalgic for city life, old haunts, and love lost, but also wary: “I couldn’t forgive the people who sided with Miranda against me, and I was even less able to forgive the people who sided with me against Miranda.”
• Sense of alienation from both past and present: “I felt like I was just turning wheels to keep a giant machine going…”

6. Reunion and Lasting Ideals

(~25:30–28:15)

• Years later, the narrator and Miranda reunite on a floating platform above the parched American interior, now transformed by technology and collapse.
• Miranda, now changed and outwardly successful, says: “It’s funny, right? …all that time we were going on about the ocean and how it was our lover and our history and all that jazz. But look at that desert down there. It’s all beautiful too.” (26:30)
• They toast “to wrong headedness,” representing loyalty to the ideals and mistakes of their youth.

7. Themes and Author’s Intention

(28:15–30:45)

• Margaret shares Anders’ commentary: The story was meant to be “a hopeful story about young people living their lives and building something new in the wake of catastrophic climate change.”
• Margaret’s tone turns reflective, feeling the piece is more nostalgic than hopeful, especially given the losses endured and the somber return to “real life” after subcultural collectivism.
• Notable quote: “It sits in my head, this way of expressing what it feels like to have been part of a culture and moves on. But also, my God, the part about whale is so dark.” (30:06)

8. Closing Reflections

(30:45–31:38)

• Margaret’s final message emphasizes solidarity and survival:
  • “Take care of each other, love each other, meet your neighbors—whether or not you like your neighbors, meet your neighbors. We have to keep each other safe. Fuck ICE and I’ll talk to you next week.” (31:20)

Memorable Quotes

• “Decay is part of the process. Decay keeps the ocean warm.” (13:45)
• “I had this beautiful moment that night, standing by a big bonfire with the rest of the crew, half of us some level of naked, and everybody looked radiant and free.” (15:50)
• “The honeymoon was over, but the marriage was just starting.” (09:22 and repeated)
• “Sometimes I stared into the waves for hours, trying to hear the sound waves trapped in them. But then I started to feel like maybe the ocean had told me everything it was ever going to.” (21:55)
• “After a while, I just raised my glass and we toasted to wrong headedness. Miranda laughed that same old wild laugh as our glasses touched.” (28:00)

Notable Timestamps

• 02:51 – Story resumes; aftereffects of food barter
• 09:22 – “The honeymoon was over, but the marriage was just starting.”
• 13:33 – Communal ritual, sense of healing
• 15:00 – Solitary peace on the ruined water
• 15:50 – Joyous bonfire scene
• 18:30 – Discovering the loss of friends left with farmers
• 21:25–25:00 – Reflections on identity, alienation, and the decision to leave
• 26:30 – Reunion with Miranda, toasting ideals
• 28:15 – Author’s commentary and Margaret’s personal reactions
• 31:20 – Margaret’s closing message on solidarity

Tone and Style

Margaret’s narration remains thoughtful, introspective, and openly emotional throughout—mixing summary, direct story excerpts, and raw personal reflection. The language is conversational, often confessional, sprinkled with dry humor and grounded queer/punk sensibilities.

For Further Reflection

• The complicated loyalty of collective living: How do survival and morality clash under collapse?
• Nostalgia as a double-edged sword—an anchor and a weight, especially in transient subcultures.
• The challenge of building “hopeful stories” in worlds shaped by ecological disaster and trauma, and how hope may take the form of persistence rather than triumph.

Summary prepared for listeners who want the heart and themes of the episode without listening.