The End we Start From

A cross posting from my GeoLibrary blog - over 500 books and other resources for geography teachers have been placed on the shelves of the library so far.

A cli-fi novel, which has been turned into a film, which is now out in cinemas.

The original book was published in 2017. I read it yesterday in one sitting.

It features a mother who gives birth at the same time as a disastrous flood inundates London (and presumably other areas in the south of England) leading to a breakdown in society, and martial law style interventions with refugee camps in Scotland and riots and fights breaking out over food. She is separated from her partner and family and fights to protect 'Z' - her child. All characters are identified only by a letter, and the text is broken up into short snippets and sections of just three or four lines in one go at most. It mostly works, and certainly creates a pace to the read. As things slowly start to improve, she aims to return 'home' to see what is left.

The text is interspersed with extracts from various creation myths - the idea of Noah and a refuge from the rising waters is threaded through the book.

My copy was published by Picador in 2017.

Paperback, 127pp

ISBN: 978-150943985

Here's the trailer for the film