Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Wall

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

librarymouse's review

reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The voice of the narrator, the militarism, and the pacing of the novel really reminded me of All Quiet on the Western Front. It's slow paced, but also a quick and enjoyable read, spending quite a lot of time in the narrator's head.

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zoereads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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samdalefox's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

A realistic climate-crisis dystopian novel, a perfect snapshot of t me hisery of where Britain is heading. It focuses of Joseph Kavanagh, a native British citizen and his experiences after 'The Change' in serving as a defender on the wall. We do not get to hear from 'The Others' point of view (climate refugees), and even when Kavanagh

does become an other, this of course is experienced differently to 'others' from different backgrounds, see the review excerpt below for analyses.

There were some important themes covered that felt all to believable in the present day (2023):

“It’s guilt: mass guilt, generational guilt. The olds feel they irretrievably fucked up the world, then allowed us to be born in it. You know what? It’s true. That’s exactly what they did. They know it, we know it. Everybody knows it”
Classism - The elites, the generational and class differences i.e. who becomes a 'defender', the others, the help (forced labour) etc.
Acknowledgement that so much about survival as a refugee is about luck.
Changing allegiances/solidarity to different groups you are part of and feeling of betrayal - from your family, your coutnrymen, your colleagues. All explored in a nuanced way.
Military mindset (my sister is currently in the British Army, the culture described in the book is spot on, and frankly, depressing.)

The most interesting character for me was the captain and I had quite a few questions about the world after the change. For example,

it seemed harsh and a short sighted decision for Britain to be putting 'their own' to sea when they're short in population and the wall and breeding is unpopular. Also, how are they sustaining 'the help'?

. However, the story is charater focused, not world building, so I won't downmark my rating based on that. I think this is an important persective that may get more Brits on board with the averting the worst of climate change since they could realistically be in the same position as Kavanagh. Overall, good addition to the genre, bleak, not difficult to read but also not enthralling to read, and I didn't care much for the last quarter of the book. I think the whole section

The Sea

could have been stronger.

Review from another member who has a different emphasis, but I also agree with:

"It's a character driven story, so there isn't a huge amount of world building beyond life on the wall, but that is described in bone-chilling detail. A rare visit home highlights the gulf between Joseph's generation and that of his parents - they had it all and their children are paying the price.

It lacked the bite and viscerality of human suffering that would make a compelling story. The deaths are quick, almost bloodless, and the main characters face none of the privitation of a world wracked by drought and famine (apart from at the very end). They live in a controlled world surrounded by giant sea walls that they must serve two years of duty defending. Despite the suggestion of an elite upper class living in luxury as something the main character aspired to, he essentially was living a well provided for life with plentiful food, shelter and friends. The wall amounted to a period of military service.

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deadamericanwriter's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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nickc777's review against another edition

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dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

A much more interesting and less adventurous/YA-esque handling than I was expecting. The tone of voice is often dispassive, almost calculating, which I thought might grate quickly and avoid emotion, but I did soon enough warm to. Lanchester rarely classifies characters and actions into right or wrong, and story feels at once clear and personal.

I did sometimes find the pattern of building happiness only to suddenly dash it again a little repetitive after a while, similar to Grapes of Wrath, but overall an excellent read

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