In his latest work of fiction, ‘Juice’, author Tim Winton sketches a grim yet captivating picture of a post-apocalyptic world. His story begins with a man and a young girl silently navigating their way across a desolate, climate-changed landscape very much akin to the backdrop seen in Cormac McCarthy’s ‘The Road’. The girl’s very humanity is in doubt in this near-future context where the world is parched by “desert heat”. The residual human population is driven away from the earth’s devastating “death belt”, seeking refuge underground to evade the scorching sun.
The duo stumble upon a deserted mine, its depth traversable via a ladder leading down the shaft. Contemplating it as a possible sanctuary, it becomes clear that it’s occupied territory. Soon, they’re coerced under threat of a crossbow into descending the shaft, and subsequently, imprisoned underground. Their captor engages with them wanting to know their story. “Explain yourself,” he orders.
While a book detained in a mine’s confines for over 500 pages sounds challenging in an age filled with infinite distractions, Winton magically reels you in with his compelling story and abundant injects of humour at unanticipated moments. The sardonic tone of the captor enlivens the narrative and provides an opportunity for levity.
Their survival story in a remote settlement is relayed by the narrator, conveying a life reliant on extreme self-sufficiency. The practice of reusing human and animal bones to enrich the soil and using sandbags to shield subterranean dwellings from monsoon floods is described. The reference to fossil fuels quickly identifies them as past luxuries, so fantastical that they almost appear as elements of a fabled past.
As they recount their backstory, a darker thread surfaces in the form of covert strategic activities and international assassination endeavours, seeking retribution against climate crisis perpetrators. The narrative is a gripping journey of endurance and thrill, providing a stark view of a plausible future reality.
The review is by Claire Adam, famed author of the 2019 Desmond Eliot Award-winning book, ‘Golden Child’.