Dry Lands by Elizabeth Anne Martins
I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and Random Things Tours for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher – Flame Tree Press
Published – Out Now
Price – £12.95 paperback £4.95 kindle ebook
After a cataclysmic flood submerges half the world underwater, cannibalistic gangs and corrupt encampments become a constant threat to the remaining dry lands. Liv and her precocious three-year-old son Milo are some of the lucky ones who have survived.
With the company of a lonely horse seeking a loving home, Liv is determined to protect Milo from the encampments, even if it means destroying what little is left of civilization. Amidst it all, she learns to embrace love and her own worth. Dry Lands is a gripping journey showcasing the resilience of humanity, parenthood, and the sacrifices we make for our children.
The end of the world is something we tend to think everyone will face into together. But how will society behave. Will we pull together or perhaps go backwards. The challenges we face some are easy to imagine and others are perhaps more subtle but have bigger consequences. In Elizabeth Anne Martin’s fascinating Dry Lands we see a world rocked by catastrophe but unusually this time the focal point is a mother and child.
The world over a few years is destroyed by The Shift, cause unknown but left to the rapid rise of the oceans destroying east and west coasts of America and many other parts of the world. Liv and her husband Felipe decide as things in he cities are getting worse they need to gamble so with their three year old son Milo that they should flee to go inland to find Felipe’s mother who lives in a remote mountain settlement. However their gamble of a helicopter ride goes horribly wrong. Liv and Milo are left alone in the countryside with few provisions and many miles to go before their destination can be reached and many dangers lie in wait.
A tale of a parent and child in an apocalypse on a long journey. I prefer in blogs not comparing any book directly to another book but if you know your dystopian fiction this should ring a bell. Dry Lands however is not directly in dialogue with that tale but what it brings powerfully is how a story changes with character. Felipe who we hardly meet in the tale is the tough survivalist, Liv was not trained in any of this and is primarily a mother of a toddler. The child in the story is not an old before their years young teenager but a child not even toilet trained and very unaware of the world they’re now in. Martin explores how the apocalypse would be for those not skilled in it; the particular issues women and children would face and asks the question how much humanity would be lost in the process. A tough read but not necessarily a bleak one.
From the gut-wrenching start where an an accident leaves Liv and Mili on their own it’s a story asking how would you survive. It’s not a tale exploring the whys and bigger issues behind the Shift it’s more how we react under extreme pressure. Liv has to start learning how to make fire, hunt and the dangers of being very alone. But throw in a toddler and we find this gets even more difficult. A young child will want to be lifted over a long day’s journey; their sense of danger is limited and their emotional state and temper tantrums make it an even harder experience. Milo is not picking up the is not getting the wisdom of the ages instead toilet training while hoping the supply of nappies can last that little bit longer is a harder issue when you’re miles from nowhere. We get the lack of medicine that makes cuts and food poisoning starker issues; a story that explores how periods and even pregnancy are made even harder when the world starts to fall apart.
As well as the physical tolls the world throws at Liv there is a fascinating story collation of how people may change when they’re desperate. We find there are dangerous raiders and wanderers - some will fight for your rations but women can also be viewed as playthings or property. Liv calls these people ‘bullies’ so Milo can understand they should be avoided. This raised the question how much of a bully does Liv herself need to be to survive this world. It’s a fascinating arc and there are glimpses of Liv before the world changed. She is a very lonely person and has been let down by the people she’s trusted. Even Felipe shows that when times are tough he sees his wife as a tool. Liv is a fascinating character as she as much as us is not yet sure what she is capable of which adds tension to the story.
The final third of the book explores how authority may change into something nastier. As the world falls we find camps and armed groups taking charge but for unknown purposes. How a state could change the rights of women and children in order to support its own plans is a powerfully delivered section that also explores how those with even minor disabilities could fare badly if felt not productive. Again things we’ve seen before but the way the focus is shown is a highlight.
While definitely a hard read this is not a fully despairing one. It’s about tough choices and the fragility of life and kindness. The appearance of a deaf horse named Mosey adds a little light to the tale and there are other characters who show they are prepared to be kind. But this world is not always going to be fair this will lead to several shocks but it’s more about not giving in that really powers the book along. My only issue was a slightly under developed romantic relationship that appears briefly in the book which I didn’t think quite landed as well as it could have.
Dry Lands is a powerful feminist work of post-apocalyptic fiction. It reminds us that the end of the world is not treating everyone the same and yet it also offers hope and the power of resolve. Martin is clearly an author to look out for and this is highly recommended.
