Although On the Beach by Nevil Shute is not on my original list of Books I am Rereading Before I Give Them Away, it is a book that I had heard about a bunch of times before adding it to my cart and accidentally buying it off of Amazon. And yes, it was a total accident. I was in the middle of a book buying ban last winter and somehow I forgot to move this to my wish list while Christmas shopping and I didn’t realize it until it showed up in a box of gifts for the kids. Whoops! I decided to keep it and read it anyways since it had such great reviews.
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On the Beach is a dystopian book set in a time where nuclear war has happened and most of the world is covered in radioactive material so intense life cannot happen. Australia is the lone holdout where the toxic winds have not reached the country as they spread their radioactivity around the world.
One of the ways the Australians are coping is through maintaining the order and every day routines of life, including our military man submarine captain who leads expeditions around the known safe areas to find survivors and measure the progress of the toxic wind. Our story follows him, his lady friend and his friends who have a baby to take care of as the grapple with the reality of their situation as it gets worse. This book focuses on the reality of their situation and does not sugar coat how desperate the situation is which is very refreshing.
On the Beach was very well written and I definitely think it is one of those books that you will find more meaning the more times you read it and even though it is not on my list of books to give away, all of my books are on the chopping block as we work through downsizing and decluttering. However, I will be keeping this one and reading it again in the near future. I would also love for my kids to read this one as well when they are of the right age.
VERDICT: Please read this book!
Our next book will be: Bringing up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman
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