On the Beach

First released 58 years ago, this novel has not aged well. Looking past the science, there is also a disconnect (for me at least) with the people and their mood. I also tried to put myself into that mood, and the story wasn't any better.

An atomic war happened (cobalt bombs) and everyone in the northern hemisphere is most likely dead. The story is told about a range of personalities living in Melbourne Australia, one of the southernmost cities. Scientists have predicted that the clouds of radioactive dust would work their way south, contaminating everything and killing everything on land soon. A small hope is raised partway through the novel and then dashed - everybody is going to die. Random fact - "on the beach" is a Royal Navy term that means "Retired from the Service" - very fitting here.

The majority of the characters in this novel face that death as unreality. For example, the American commander of the submarine believes his wife and kids in Connecticut are still alive - or perhaps just waiting for him "over there". Heaven isn't mentioned and religion is barely touched on - I would think this is where many people would be. Nobody resists the suicide pills as a sin either.

What absolutely nobody is doing is trying to fight it, to escape it. The closest we have is a group that is etching great books on glass and storing them on a mountain top, for posterity. At one point it is estimated that the radiation will only be a factor for five years or so. Plenty of stories and my own childhood were filled with the idea of long term fallout shelters, where people would be safe for 20 years or more. One side character here is trying to drink up all the Port wine at the club - but not because alcohol may help him survive. He drinks it because he doesn't want it to go to waste.

In summary, I couldn't connect with the fatalistic souls in the story. The science didn't fit well and the history wasn't interesting. I watched the original film several years ago and the part I enjoyed most was the radio message - only the slimmest part of the story here. Both the film and the book are heavy emotional pieces.