I asked my buddy Jim what his favourite book was and without a moment's hesitation he answered On The Beach by Nevil Shute. It was something I'd never heard of - but spotted a copy in a trip to the ever-glorious Southend Waterstones and settled in without knowing what to expect.
The set up is that all human life is being slowly and surely snuffed out by a radioactive dust cloud caused by the fallout of a disastrously short nuclear war. The Northern Hemisphere (mostly Russia, the US and China) all unleashed their arsenals at each other and are long-since dead. But the dust literally won't settle - and gradually, the rest of the world is falling to the cloud's inexorable progress. Written in 1957, this was written by a Brit who'd settled in Australia and was watching nuclear proliferation and the arms race from afar - this whole book is filled with the fear of the times; you never doubt its authenticity
What you see are a population who know little about why the end is coming (except within limited military circles) and only vagaries around what will happen to them and when. Some are in denial - others have turned to hedonism and escapism to try and cope. The story starts with a Australian naval man being given his last commission on board a US sub (who happened to be in port in Melbourne when the war broke out). He brings the American captain into his life - and the novel then plays out the months that follow.
I cannot tell you what happens - the whole book relies on you not knowing - but I'd really recommend this for those who like such things. Such things being stories about the end of the world. Or not. You'll have to read to find out. It's quite an experience to read - and I'm grateful for Jim for having chosen it.
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