Juice by Tim Winton

In a harsh world of heat and suffocating ash, a man and a child in a truck journey across country seeking a place of refuge, something that seems scarce in an environment of anonymous danger, night screams and guarded settlements. The man is burn scarred, the child is scared mute, and the unlikely place of safety is a derelict mine shaft. But their luck is out, the mine is not so derelict, and a man with a deadly crossbow takes them prisoner. Thus begins the narration of events that have led to this situation, as the man with the child attempts to win over the bowman, knowing that if he fails their lives are in jeopardy. There are hints that the two men have something of a shared past experience, both scarred, both loners, both ex-Service, though what kind of service is yet to be revealed.

Thus Winton begins his description of a future dystopian world, where the murdering heat of summer is spent sealed underground, and only in winter can the inhabitants of the plains come out into open air, even then only in the early and late hours of the day and with loaded sun protection. The man and his mother are toughened survivors, people of the plains, eking out a living alone, until the day he is drawn into a new form of resistance.

This is the world that has been predicted for us, the world that scientists warn about, and which vested interest denies. It is a harsh soul-destroying environment, with people in desperate need of ‘juice’ – fuel for their homes and vehicles, water for their plants, and stamina for their survival. It is a world gone desperate, bereft of humanity, each out for himself.

Winton’s writing style is finely honed and concise, alternating blistering descriptions with passages of dialogue between the man and his captor, drawing in the listener, and the reader at the same time. It’s an account that will surprise at turns, and keep you seeking the final revelation.

Moral dilemmas sit at the heart of the novel: the tug-of-war between caring for family and the adrenalin charge of the secret mission, between safety of home and containment and the danger of striving for something else. The distinction between good and evil becomes blurred. There is a reminder of how much the coloniser has damaged the land formerly cared for by Indigenous people. Humankind is shown to be so flawed the question arises that if machines were to inherit the planet perhaps the world would be better off.

This latest novel by Winton is a foray into a new genre for him, the dystopian future; but readers will ever appreciate his innate love of country, his focus on relationships, and his questioning of humans’ relationship with their world. It is a stunning read. Don’t miss this book.

Themes: Dystopia, Climate change, End of world, Revenge, Morals, Responsibility.

Helen Eddy