NPR's Book of the Day — Episode Summary

Episode: In 'Eradication,' a grieving man sets off to a remote island to save the world
Host: Scott Simon (with introduction by Andrew Limbong)
Guest: Jonathan Miles (author of Eradication)
Date: February 19, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode explores Eradication, a poignant new novel by Jonathan Miles. The story centers on Adi, a grieving father who, after the death of his young son and the collapse of his marriage, takes a job to save endangered ecosystems on a remote island by eradicating invasive goats. Through conversation with Scott Simon, Miles unpacks the novel’s themes: the complexities of killing, the language (and euphemisms) we use for it, and the search for meaning in loss. The interview delves into empathy, morality, environmentalism, and the subtle humanity that arises in impossible situations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Emotional Weight of Killing

• Opening Context:
  • Host Andrew Limbong shares a childhood memory of slaughtering animals and the conflicting mix of "sadness, disgust, gratitude and a sense that it's had to be done" (00:02).
  • Draws immediate parallel to Adi's struggle with the job’s moral implications.

The Book’s Premise & Real-World Roots

• Adi's Mission:

  • Adi is hired to eradicate goats from the island of Santa Flora, where their unchecked population (from 19th-century whalers) has devastated local plant and bird species (02:05).
  • Quote from the novel (read by Miles):

    "The problem is that history leaves a slime trail like a snail... Birds stopped landing on Santa Flora because there were no more trees for them... Birdsong was no longer the predominant sound on Santa Flora. The grinding of teeth was." — Jonathan Miles (03:24)

• Environmental Context:

  • Miles stresses this fiction echoes real eradication efforts on Pacific and Caribbean islands (03:45).

Euphemisms for Killing

• Language Games:
  • Simon observes, “The interviewer can never quite bring herself to say kill, can she?” (03:40)
  • Miles responds about the use of "remove" instead of "kill", highlighting how society sanitizes acts we find uncomfortable (03:45).

The Main Character’s Psychology

• Adi's Motivation:
  • Simon: Why is Adi willing to do this work, since he's not a hunter? (04:24)
  • Miles:

    “What Adi is searching for is what used to be called respair, a forgotten archaic term for the recovery from despair or resumption of hope... He was not able to save his son. And I think he sees [this job] as a chance to save something.” (04:30)

Personification and Attachment

• Camaraderie with the Goats:

  • As Adi spends time on the island, he develops emotional bonds with the goats, giving them names and attributing personalities:

    “He was beginning to tell them apart now. Not just Harmony, the singer, but the other six... Adi started calling Booska after a cartoon character Hyrule had been fond of... and Otie called this one Contact Lens.” (05:08)

• Ethical Complexity:

  • Simon notes naming them “doesn’t seem like a way to work up... the kind of hardness in your soul to actually shoot goat after goat.” (05:54)

  • Miles:

    “Adi is entirely incompetent for this position... he has never voluntarily taken another life... [the goats] become his companions... He starts to see them as individuals. He starts to see the commonality of our desires... that makes it much, much harder to eradicate them.” (06:10)

Moral and Emotional Climax

• Struggling to Fulfill His Task:
  • Simon: “Without giving too much away, he decides to alter his orders, doesn’t he?” (07:15)
  • Miles details the emotional turmoil after shooting his first goat — carrying its carcass back, trying to “square the natural cycle” by eating it, and ultimately experiencing the act as “sinful, an absolute desecration.”

    “At one point, he... wades out into the ocean as if to unburden himself of the weight of what he's done, to unburden humanity.” (07:19)

Literary Influences and Tone

• Comparative Notes:
  • Simon: The book evokes “stirrings of Lord of the Flies and The Old Man and the Sea” (08:17).
  • Miles:

    “Intended is a funny word for novelist... everything that a novelist, or really any artist reads or hears somehow gets metabolized into what we make. So were they conscious influences? I'm not sure, but were they there? Definitely.” (08:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The problem is that history leaves a slime trail like a snail... Birdsong was no longer the predominant sound on Santa Flora. The grinding of teeth was.”
  — Jonathan Miles reading from Eradication (03:24)

• “What Adi is searching for is what used to be called respair... a chance to save something.”
  — Jonathan Miles (04:30)

• “Adi is entirely incompetent for this position... he starts to see them as individuals. He starts to see the commonality of our desires... that makes it much, much harder to eradicate them.”
  — Jonathan Miles (06:10)

• “At one point, he... wades out into the ocean as if to unburden himself of the weight of what he's done, to unburden humanity.”
  — Jonathan Miles (07:19)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:02 | Andrew Limbong's personal reflection on killing animals | | 02:05 | Introduction of Adi, Adi's losses, and the eradication mission | | 03:24 | Jonathan Miles reads vivid passage from the book | | 03:45 | Discussion on the euphemisms for killing animals | | 04:30 | Miles explains Adi’s motivation and the concept of “respair” | | 05:08 | Personification and naming of goats, deepening Adi’s empathy | | 06:10 | Ethical struggle: Adi’s unsuitability and growing attachment | | 07:19 | Adi’s crisis after his first kill and attempts at atonement | | 08:17 | Simon’s literary comparisons; discussion of influences |

Conclusion

NPR’s Book of the Day's conversation with Jonathan Miles offers a nuanced dive into Eradication's moral complexity, emotional depth, and real-world environmental resonances. Adi’s journey, both geographic and psychological, raises enduring questions about grief, responsibility, and whether it’s possible—or right—to try to “save” the world when redemption feels out of reach. This episode will resonate with anyone interested in literary fiction, environmental themes, or stories about searching for hope amidst despair.