On the Beach by Nevil Shute

Nevil Shute, On the Beach (New York: Vintage Ed. , reprint of original published 1957; 2010). 320 pages.

This story is set in 1963 around Melbourne, Australia's southern-most major city. World War Three has devastated the nations of the northern hemisphere. Global air currents carried the nuclear fallout over the northern hemisphere killing all animal and human life. The fallout moves slowly across the equator and starts to cover the rest of the world. The only inhabitable parts of the world are the southern parts of Africa, South America, Australia, and New Zealand. Life in Melbourne continues while the invisible radiation moves towards them. An American submarine survived the devastation and now bases itself in Melbourne. The Australian government detects a Morse code signal coming from Seattle. With the hope that someone survived, the American submarine performs a mission to inspect the damage to the cities on the  west coast of the United States, investigate the source of the Morse code signal, and examine the levels of radiation to determine if the levels are falling. The submarine crew examines the cities on the west coast of the United States from the safety of their vessel. They discover that the radiation levels have not fallen, and that the mystery Morse code signal is caused by an object swinging in the breeze and hitting the Morse code key. Upon completion of their mission, the submarine returns to Melbourne, where the crew face their fate along with the rest of the world - death by radiation poisoning. The Australian government distributes suicide pills for those wishing to end things quickly. In their last weeks with the radiation approaching, the people carry on their lives until the radiation sickness emerged. Most of the characters choose to suicide, while the submarine captain leaves port with his remaining crew to scuttle his boat.

This is a bleak and morose book. Don't expect it to cheer you up. After reading it, I have doubts about the authenticity of the characters. The major characters are hardy souls. Some of them are military men. I found it difficult to believe that none of the characters headed to the hills or caves with years of provisions and protective supplies in order to ride out the years of radioactive fallout until it was safe to emerge. I find it hard to believe that the author did not include in his story what we now call "survivalists."  The characters in his book put their faith in the government, waited for the inevitable, and then committed suicide. Maybe that is his point: putting your faith in the government results is suicide.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was bleak and morose, but that is the intention. I always wanted to read this book after hearing the story (false though it was) that Ava Gardner, the star of the film adaptation of the book, said that Melbourne was the perfect place to make a film about the end of the world. I'm pleased I read this book, but could not say that joy or happiness can be found within it's pages. Caveat emptor!