The Wall is a fascinating dystopian novel set in the near future. A catastrophic climatic event has occurred which is vaguely referred to as 'The Change'. Britain is cold and foggy and the coastline is surrounded by a massive wall to keep out the 'Others': desperate refugees in boats trying to find shelter. The novel builds suspense by providing limited historical details, and explaining the present day in a very narrow, first-person point of view. This works well by building tension and curiosity in the reader.
Kavanagh is a man in his twenties who is starting his compulsory two-year duty on the Wall as a Defender. He describes the cold and dreariness of long 12 hour shifts, along with the fear of over-the-wall attacks from Others, coupled the risk of himself being put out to sea if The Others are successful. Those Others who are allowed to stay become ‘Help' and serve the elite of the population.
There are also ‘Breeders’, a role coveted by Kavanagh and his girlfriend; as those who have children are well looked after by the State.
In between stints on the Wall, normal life with his parents continues; albeit with an underlying yet unspoken parental guilt. When Kavanagh leaves, his parents revert back to watching surfing videos from the old days - an historical pastime as the beaches are now long gone. All is not grim however, life continues and is described by Kavanagh in a chatty way and not without humour.
The Wall could be described as an environmental parable of what could happen to society and our environment as a consequence global weather events; a refugee crisis; and perhaps even Brexit with a Trump-type Wall thrown in. Either way it is an interesting, clever, and scarily plausible novel.
Reviewed by Katrina
Catalogue link: The Wall
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