The Road to Winter (Text Publishing 2016), the debut novel by Mark Smith, Author, is a great YA story that ticks all the right boxes for that age group, but will nevertheless appeal to adult readers also. Set in Australia after an apocalyptic event – a virus has wiped out a large chunk of the population – we meet 15-year-old Finn who has been living alone for two years on an outback property, fending for himself after the death of his parents. With only his dog, Rowdy, for company, Finn traps rabbits and goes fishing and foraging to survive. He still finds joy in surfing, and some of the book’s loveliest passages depict the ocean and the waves, and the act of communing with nature through the surf. But this is not a book of quiet contemplation – this is a tense and well-plotted action-driven narrative that keeps the reader on the edge of the seat. The dangerous gang patrolling the outskirts – the Wilders – are ruthless, desperate, cruel and savage. When an injured girl comes to Finn at his isolated location for help, he must make some difficult choices.
The characters in this novel are extremely well drawn, and we care about each of them right from the very first pages. And there are bigger issues at play here too: that of climate change, and of refugees (there is a whole class of ‘Siley’s’, asylum seekers, who are abused, bought and sold like slaves, and treated with no dignity or respect in what is a frighteningly accurate extension of current attitudes. The book is in fact dedicated to: ‘… all those who have sought refuge, only to be met by closed hearts.’) While the heroic David against Goliath efforts of Finn and others will resonate with adolescent readers, the wider themes of the novel will appeal to anyone with a social conscience and concern about the current direction of social policy.
This book raises issues of friendship and new love, of survival instinct and sacrifice, of betrayal, of determination and grit. It is all about how far you would go to help someone else, especially if it puts your own life in danger.
The Road to Winter does not end with a tidy conclusion, and while it is satisfying, it is certainly not a happy one, but rather filled with anxiety. Readers are left with more questions than answers, and a feeling that the adventure of this story is only just beginning. I was so pleased to realise a sequel is already on the way and due for release this month.
The Road to Winter – Mark Smith
