When the Floods Came by Clare Morrall

I was totally absorbed in this unusual novel and did not want it to end:  part realist dystopian fiction; part domestic fiction; part psychological thriller – something for everyone really!

Set in the near future some years after a deadly virus has swept through Great Britain; the island has been put in quarantine by the rest of the world.  Those who have survived are infertile, apart from a tiny minority who have natural immunity. Severe weather events are common, with huge rain storms putting London and other areas permanently in flood and unlivable.

Roza’s family, consisting of her parents and three siblings, have chosen to remain isolated in a large weather-proof tower block apartment on the outskirts of Birmingham.  The Capital has been moved to Brighton and there is pressure for fertile young people to move there and start families, as there are very few children left alive.  Rosa is engaged to a young man she has only met on-line and is about to meet him, leave her family and move to Brighton.

The family are close, and very resourceful in feeding and looking after themselves between drone drops of supplies from the Americans.  Twenty-two  year old Rosa and her younger brother Boris work on-line for the Chinese; Roza translates resources from Chinese to English.

After years of isolation, a charismatic and mercurial young man suddenly appears, changing family dynamics, avoiding questions about his past and bringing information about a local fair being held nearby.

The big question for the family is: can they trust this young man’s word?  Roza’s parents are suspicious and very protective of their children, Roza’s older siblings are desperate for adventure and contact with others their own age.  What happens next will change all their lives forever…

The strengths of this novel are the great characters, the building tension and the believable descriptions of life for this family in a ravaged and unpredictable world.  Recommended.

Posted by Katrina

Catalogue link: When the Floods Came