Juice

Juice by Tim Winton is set in a future drastically altered by climate change. People can no longer live in the tropics and during the summer families in part of Western Australia (and probably other areas in Australia) need to retreat below ground in order to survive. They can live and work above ground in the winter but need to work to gather enough supplies to allow them to survive isolation during the hot season.

An unnamed narrator recounts the story of the cause of this climatic destruction to a man he meets when he and a young girl are looking for a new location where they may possibly survive. His story describes the destruction of past lifestyles to the current disaster. The narrator also tells of his life story leading to his present predicament.

Tim Winton is known for his concerns about the environment and the effects of climate change. One of his other works is a book for young teenagers, Blueback. He has also featured in a number of television programs about the environment and threats to nature. 

Juice is a long book - 513 pages - but once I became used to the writing style I wanted to keep reading. Books like Juice encourage readers to think more carefully about how our lifestyle affects the environment in which we live. Dystopian books like Juice will hopefully encourage the reader to think about how the way we currently live may affect and / or destroy life for future generations living in our country. The novel also touches on the possibility of the creation of AI people or simulations in the future.

Juice by Tim Winton - life after the apocalypse - The Guardian  

Schooled in doubleness - Australian Book Review 

Haunted by our legacy - QUT Guild