A review by sonofthunder
Noah's Castle by John Rowe Townsend

3.0

Possibly not the best book to be reading during this period of global unrest and inflationary fun, but I heard about this book as being a fascinating "what if" look at a socioeconomic collapse in post-war Great Britain. This book seems to be set in most likely the 1960s or so? Possibly a touch later. But, published in 1976, it definitely posits a grim future for Britain. While this book was fascinating partly because it is a window into some of the pessimistic ideas floating around in the '70s, the book itself is a bit dull and predictable. The whole of the book is a slow decline into the inevitable collapse of both the nation and the family at the center of this book. There are not any nuanced characters in this book and the message of the book is quite clear - individuals should not seek to look after themselves, but instead, all should be provided for in common. It is quite a socialistic moral tale, at the end of all things, but I do confess that the author does a good job of showing the terror and unease that comes when a society falls apart. When people are not able to easily (or at all) obtain food, the seemingly strong fabric of society frays almost instantly. This is frightening indeed. What is the answer to that? The author doesn't have any, as he is not focused on the big picture, but almost solely looking at how individuals, families and communities react to existential stresses. A good tale, fascinating, but at the end, a bit too neat and pat in how the author resolves everything and brings about the ending he so fervently desires. Worth one read, surely, but not more than that. There are better near-apocalyptic books than this.