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Content snapshot
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Violence
None
No violence; the war is over before the novel begins
Language
Barely any
Mild language; the quiet of people with nothing left to fight about
Sexual Content
Barely any
Adult romantic relationships; handled with period restraint and enormous tenderness
Substance Use
Barely any
Some drinking; a character chooses to embrace wine in her final months
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
Extreme existential dread sustained throughout; the knowledge that everyone will die and nothing can be done; requires emotional resilience from the reader
What this book is about
It is 1963, and the Northern Hemisphere has been destroyed in a nuclear exchange. The survivors in Australia are waiting for the radiation cloud to reach them—a matter of months. Shute's novel follows an American submarine commander, an Australian naval officer and his family, and a young woman who has fallen in love with the American, as they choose how to spend their remaining time. There is no action to be taken, no heroism possible. Just ordinary people living until they can't. One of the most quietly devastating novels of the twentieth century.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
One of the most psychologically devastating novels ever written
The entire human race faces extinction without drama or rescue
May be deeply disturbing for anxious readers
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