A New Zealand Navy frigate torpedoes a boat full of refugees fleeing a drowning country and Nasimul Rahman is one of the few survivors. First he has to reach the shore alive and then he has to avoid the trigger-happy Shore Patrol, on alert to stop climate change refugees entering the country.
Donna is new to the Patrol. When word comes through that the Navy has sunk a ship full of infiltrators and survivors might be making their way ashore, it sounds like she might get to see some action.
Published by The Cuba Press
ISBN: 978-1-98-859502-3
What makes the novella such a compelling read is the fast-paced narration, coupled with descriptions that world-build a future Auckland in bold strokes: “In those years of the relentlessly rising sea, wealth brought elevation: the only people who lived close to the ever-advancing shoreline were those who could not afford to live further away.”
Harvey Molloy, New Zealand Review of Books Pukapuka Aotearoa 29(4) Summer 2019, p 35
Climate fiction (cli-fi) can sometimes be a dry, ponderous genre…. Not so with Jones, whose sense of mischief is at times reminiscent of Margaret Atwood. There’s … a wry, often dark sense of humour at work.
“Jones talks in depth about human resilience and the determination to survive. The ability to keep going even when all seems lost. He examines our humanity; how we respond to threats and challenges, but ultimately how we, as a global species, behave to one another. The tension is high, the characters relatable, and Jones deftly manoeuvres you into bearing witness to the unfolding plot.”
Tabatha Wood, SpecFicNZ
“Electrifying and visceral novella, portraying a harrowing vision of climate crisis victims, handled violently by austere and bigoted authorities, who scour the coasts for any sign of refugee survivors. Once again, it is those that have least to lose who offer the most kindness. I hope one day this book becomes a novel.”
Nicola Easthope, Goodreads.com