What would you do to survive? That's the question at the heart of this intriguing dystopia.

There has (possibly) been a nuclear war and the lucky few are in a bunker. They may have once been famous or rich or influential but in the bunker they are surnames in boilersuits, living off pouches and sleeping in bunks. Sexual violence and suicide are rife and paranoia growing. Wolfe is a pharmacist, spending her days dolling out anti depressants, marking out the days on a calendar. But when she asks for one small favour she gets pulled into the dark centre of power and soon finds that her own survival depends on her compliance - and she has to ask herself, how far is she willing to go to keep herself and those she loves alive?

This is a compelling, bleak book, claustrophobic and beautifully realised. Highly recommended.

This book was quite captivating and had an interesting premise of a society trapped in an underground bunker. I enjoyed the consideration given to the dynamics of those inside and the lives they had to leave behind to be there. Whilst I felt the narrative flirted with some quite interesting interesting subjects such as rationing, leadership and repopulation, I felt that it did not get any further than flirting and I would have loved to see a more in-depth exploration of these matters. A good read overall and one I would take on holiday to read on a beach!

What's the book about?

While the outside world heals, the bunker provides a haven of safety and hope. Wolfe is the bunker's on-site pharmacist. Life is harder underground because the bunker's leader is controlling, erratic and paranoid. But when the leader begins to ask Wolfe favours she can hardly say no to, everything she's built begins to crumble. Soon Wolfe questions the sacrifices she's made for her own personal survival, and how much more she's willing to do to stay alive.


My thoughts:

I enjoy post-apocalyptic books and this one is quite compelling. In some ways it reminded of City of Ember. The characters in this one though aren't very likeable but they do grow on you, despite all their flaws. I'm hoping Atalla writes a sequel because I'm curious about what happens within the bunker and the possibility of a world outside it.

I do love post-apocalyptic fiction and this is a very good addition to the genre.

Sarah Wolfe is the titular pharmacist, confined with an unknown number of people in a crowded bunker beneath an unknown city, to wait out the effects of... something hinted at as deadly radiation although we are never explicitly told what or why (there are a few tantalising hints plus mention of a 3 year duration). Wolfe spends her days dolling out medicines and dealing with minor ailments until she becomes unwillingly involved in The Leader's increasingly paranoid machinations to eliminate rivals and subdue any hint of dissent, while living a life of comparative luxury in an isolated part of the bunker.

The setting, as you'd expect, is eerily claustrophobic and somewhat reminiscent of Hugh Howey's "Wool" series, although the decline of this community is shown to happen remarkably quickly. The whole bunker project feels strangely rushed together yet well-planned - large amounts of pureed ration pouches are available but no solid food, no mention of growing fresh vegetables nor keeping chickens, etc. Also, perhaps in an amusing nod to real life the bunker is full of people who would appear to be of little use in a survival situation - bankers, politicians, political donors, and their families.

As for style, the book is written entirely from Wolfe's point of view, and totally without speech marks (similar to Ling Ma's "Severance"). It's a modern and perhaps brave choice, but takes a bit of getting used to. I am personally not keen because it makes the characters seem dispassionate and detached, and a lot of the 'bigger picture' is missing.

However, the book is intriguing and well written and I'm hoping there is a follow-up as I'd really like to know what happens next and what's happening outside.

A tense brooding examination of what we all might be forced to stoop to in the tight circumstances
I found this novel immediately compelling and was quickly hooked by the concept of the story with an unknown number of survivors trapped in an underground bunker after an unspecified catastrophic world event
I loved the comparison of us and them that developed and found myself feeling physically sick with the pharmacist as she ate an unusually rich meal after surviving on soft packaged emergency rations for so long
The sense of foreboding is great as it becomes clear what she must do to ensure survival
I loved the small group who went on imaginary holidays to entertain themselves.how many of ius during last years lockdown found our selves considering similar
All in all. Thoroughly enjoyable novel great for those who like me love love post apocalyptic fiction