Brother in the Land, by Robert Swindles, is one of a great many books set in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. It is very touching but, given its subject matter, is understandably very sad. There are moments of hope, but the theme of the book is a depressing one. It's a children's book, but better for older children I feel. Not overly long, it shouldn't take too long to read.
It deals in a very realistic way about issues such as sharing out of food and whether people would work together or compete for resources. The concepts in the book are very believable and seen through the eyes of characters with whom the reader will be sympathetic.
~~~ The Plot ~~~ Danny is a kid whose parents own a shop. When nuclear bombs fall, his mum is killed, but he survives along with his dad and his little brother Ben. Because of
the shop, they have food for now and shyare it out with some of their friends. But others are struggling to find things to eat, and it won't be long before they have to fight to keep what's theirs.
Everyone in the town is waiting for the authorities to arrive, but when they do come, they don't bring help. They have food, so why should they share it?
The authorities set up a farm and get the civilians to work like slaves for food. Some refuse to join and groups form. When their dad is killed, Danny and Ben join a group that are fighting the authorities and trying to let everyone have an equal share of the food and resources.
In a world that's been poisoned by radiation, people still form communities and find friends, but there's a lot to fight when even the earth and air can be deadly.
~~~ The Characters ~~~ The characters are very well realised, from Ben, who's still young enough to want to play, Danny, who's optimistic enough to believe they'll find a way back to a better world, and Kim, who realises the world they're in better than they do and will fight for her survival along with the others.
There is a mixture of characters who appear in the book, all with their different strategies of coping with the world they now live in. Robert Swindles does well and capturing the varying reactions that people would have, from those who want to help everyone, to those who will leave others to starve as long as they're safe themselves. They are all very realistic, perhaps too much so as the reader is forced to admit that yes, there are people who would be that selfish, or act in such an evil way.
~~~ The Writing ~~~ The story is told in the first person, written by Danny some time after the bombs fall. This allows him to reflect on events that shocked and appalled him with the eyes of one who's come to terms with it. This gives it a very haunting style.
Because of the way it is written, Swindles is able to give hints about what is to come: "I wish he was still there now." This makes the book difficult to put down, because you want to know what will happen next.
This style of writing always annoys me slightly, since no one remembers ever word of a conversation they had years ago, but Danny is able to write it out exactly. But, this is something I find fault with in a lot of books and it doesn't detract from the novel as a whole, so I was able to put aside my pedantry and enjoy the story.
There is also the very depressing tone that suggests, as Danny's writing, he knows that it may be no one will ever read it. He is writing, knowing that the human race may die or that the world may never recover. This is an extremely depressing way that brings home the enormity of the subject matter.
A nice thing about the way Swindles tackles the subject, is by inventing terms. People are always coming up with new words for things, or adapting old words to fit new situations. That is what is done in the books, with people who hole up with supplies being called Badgers. Then there are the Spacers, who have come unhinged because they can't cope with the situation. As the book goes on, Swindles introduces the reader to Purples and Terminals, giving a vivid picture of a new society formed out of the ruins of the old.
~~~ Overall ~~~ This is definitely not a light-hearted book. The language is easy to read, but the subject matter isn't. Older children might enjoy it, or adults looking for something that isn't too difficult.
I wouldn't recommend it for young children unless they're the sort who like being upset from start to finish.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Jan 14th, 2006
exceptional by (4%):
very helpful by (91%):
helpful by (4%):
