The wall : a novel

Title:

The wall : a novel

Author:

Summary:

"Ravaged by the Change, an island nation in a time very like our own has built the Wall--an enormous concrete barrier around its entire border. Joseph Kavanagh, a new Defender, has one task: to protect his section of the Wall from the Others, the desperate souls who are trapped amid the rising seas outside and attack constantly. Failure will result in death or a fate perhaps worse: being put to sea and made an Other himself. Beset by cold, loneliness, and fear, Kavanagh tries to fulfill his duties to his demanding Captain and Sergeant, even as he grows closer to his fellow Defenders. And then the Others attack."-- Provided by publisher.

Edition:

First American edition.

Physical Description:

254 pages ; 25 cm

Genre:

Dystopian fiction.

Apocalyptic fiction.

Subject Term:

Climatic changes -- Fiction.

Islands -- Fiction.

Border security -- Fiction.

Publisher:

W. W. Norton & Company,

Publication Date:

2019

ISBN:

9781324001638

Publication Information:

New York : W. W. Norton & Company, 2019.

Call Number:

LANCHES

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003394270	Adult Fiction	LANCHES	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

Ravaged by the Change, an island nation in a time very like our own has built the Wall--an enormous concrete barrier around its entire coastline. Joseph Kavanagh, a new Defender, has one task: to protect his section of the Wall from the Others, the desperate souls who are trapped amid the rising seas outside and are a constant threat. Failure will result in death or a fate perhaps worse: being put to sea and made an Other himself. Beset by cold, loneliness, and fear, Kavanagh tries to fulfill his duties to his demanding Captain and Sergeant, even as he grows closer to his fellow Defenders. A dark part of him wonders whether it would be interesting if something did happen, if they came, if he had to fight for his life...

John Lanchester--acclaimed as "an elegant and wonderfully witty writer" (New York Times) and "a writer of rare intelligence" (Los Angeles Times)--has written a taut, hypnotic novel of a broken world and what might be found when all is lost. The Wall blends the most compelling issues of our time--rising waters, rising fear, rising political division--into a suspenseful story of love, trust, and survival.

Author Notes

John Lanchester was the deputy editor of the London Review of Books and the restaurant critic for the London Observer.

He is the author of a second novel, Mr. Phillips, and his work has appeared in The New Yorker.

He lives in London.

(Publisher Provided)

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Lanchester (Capital) imagines coming of age amid the xenophobia and despair of a world ravaged by climate change in his dynamite dystopian novel. Twenty-something Joseph Kavanagh arrives for his mandatory two-year service as a Defender of the Wall surrounding his coastal country. It has survived the massive ecological devastation and sea level rise known as the Change, and its Defenders kill anyone from outside (known as Others) who tries to enter. Kavanagh suffers bracing cold, prolonged tedium, and the exacting demands of his company's captain amid the fear of attack; any Defenders who fail are put out to sea. He gets to know his fellow soldiers and develops an incipient crush on androgynous and initially taciturn Hifa. After a war games training, a young politician warns the Defenders of rumors that the Others are increasingly desperate and some inside the country have been treasonously plotting ways to help them. Cracking under pressure, Hifa offers to have a child with Kavanagh, as parents receive a reprieve from duty, but their plans are obliterated by a surprise attack that has devastating consequences. This terrifyingly resonant depiction of desperation will spark lively discussions about the responsibilities climate change is restructuring, and is electrifying storytelling to boot. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.