The Stranding: SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD

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In the pantheon of visual metaphors for America today, this is the money shot,” he wrote of the picture, which was taken by an amateur photographer who spotted the photo-op as she was about to skydive out of a plane. While we never find out what the event is that happens in The Stranding, I felt it was another brilliant reminder for us to be more mindful and to take greater care of our planet which we are so careless with.

The Stranding by Kate Sawyer | Goodreads The Stranding by Kate Sawyer | Goodreads

In both The Road and The Stranding, knowledge of how the world ended and why isn’t useful: it cannot be eaten or drunk, it cannot provide shelter or protection.For decades Atwood’s novels have been sounding the alarm about things that may not yet be visible, though they are already coming to pass. Cli-fi often rests on the familiar trope of a nightmarish new reality unleashed by a catastrophic event. Abi's disappearance cracks open the façade of the small town of Whistling Ridge, its intimate history of long-held grudges and resentment. There’s much to be gained from reading The Stranding in this light and, in particular, as a companion text to The Road. But we turn the pages because we want to know what will become of the protagonists; after all, the narrative has rendered them so alive in our imaginations, and actually, we do care what will happen.

month - Kate Sawyer - The Stranding - Jo Book review of the month - Kate Sawyer - The Stranding - Jo

Kate Sawyer has created a dystopia so unerringly familiar that it can make you laugh and shiver simultaneously. But an unexpected turn of events shakes the foundation of their friendship to its core, leaving their future in doubt - there's simply too much to forgive, let alone forget. Furious, she kicks him out, and enlists her Dad to move in and help with the children whilst she tries to mend her broken heart. No one seems to care that she doesn't really know what she's doing with her life beyond looking for her next hook-up.

When seventeen-year-old Emma leaves her best friend Abi at a party in the woods, she believes, like most girls her age, that their lives are just beginning. His point, says Ghosh, is not just about the book itself, but the welcome it received (including being shortlisted for the Booker prize). I’ve also found that being back in Suffolk has given me a sense of space, which I maybe didn’t even realise I needed. It’s this tradition of hope that carries the boy of The Road and Frankie and Māia of The Stranding through the eventual loss of their parents and into the uncertain future. Kate Sawyer masterfully weaves a gripping narrative between a world disappeared and a world that must begin anew in this ultimately hopeful tale of love, loss and survival in the face of overwhelming odds.