One of The Guardian's best sci-fi books of 2024

An edge-of-your-seat post-apocalyptic thriller, perfect for fans of Station Eleven and The Road, from twice Booker-shortlisted author Tim Winton.

'Will stab your conscience and break your heart’ Emma Donoghue
'A blistering cli-fi epic' The Guardian

Survival is only the beginning.

Two fugitives, a man and a child, drive across a stony desert. As dawn breaks, they roll into an abandoned mine site. They’re exhausted, traumatized, desperate now, and this is a forsaken place, but as a refuge it’s the most promising they’ve seen. The child peers at the field of desolation. The man thinks to himself, this could work.

Problem is, they’re not alone . . .

So begins a searing journey through a life where the challenge is not only to survive; it’s keeping your humanity if you do.