“Timely and ironic..an indelibly sad ending that leaves you tearful and disturbed”
NO MAJOR SPOILERS
The world is in turmoil following a nuclear war in the Northern Hemisphere, the air is polluted with radioactive fallout killing anyone it touches within a matter of days. As the earth’s air currents slowly force the radiation South, the novel concentrates on how southern Australia reacts to their impending death, focusing mainly on 5 individuals. The book details Shute’s impression of how he feels society would react when faced with its final destruction.
Shute imagines a world of stiff upper lipped inhabitants, where people go about their daily business until the very end. Goods are still paid for, jobs are still kept, and crime is at a minimum. Personally I would foresee a very different set of circumstances, but I am not writing the book, so I will go along with the author.