The Wall is a dystopian novel abut a teenage girl fleeing England in the 2040's - after a disastrous Brexit has left the country almost unfit to live in.
Brexit is a hot potato right now. It's all over the news, and everyone has a strong opinion on it. If you're not from the UK you might not understand just what a big deal (or no deal) it is over here. It is absolutely everywhere, completely inescapable. And rightly so - its an important issue - it could have a big impact on the future of the UK. This is where Margaret Mason has found her inspiration for The Wall.
The Wall focuses on Harra, a teenager from York. Her family has saved up to send her to the Scottish border, and to cross the wall that marks the edge of England (Scotland has gained independence). It's illegal for anyone to cross the border and leave the country, so the journey is taken undercover, in total secret. Harra is given a set of thirteen instructions (Day 1, walk 10 miles North, for example), and there are stewards along the way who have safe houses where she can eat and rest.While she is travelling, she is on here own - it's a long dangerous journey and not everyone makes it - they either get caught by immigration or they don't survive the trip.
The England in The Wall is almost unrecognisable. Thick smog is everywhere - so dense in places that a mask is required to breathe safely. There are no cars, since fuel is scarce - that includes electricity. Food is short. Healthcare is non-existent (I guess the NHS is no longer around). The people scrape by, do what they can to earn a living and stretch their earnings as far as they can. They don't travel outside of their hometowns, eat what they can in their cold homes. This is all a result of course of the UK leaving the EU, and the Brexit referendum.
I'm not getting into Brexit here - I am giving that a wide, wide berth. Margaret is obviously a remainer, and this book is geared for other remainers. If that puts you off, then it's probably not for you. And obviously, no one thinks this is going to happen - this isn't a prediction or a warning, it's a bit of fun - almost satirical.
The story itself doesn't get too weighed down with the whole Brexit thing. We're told that Brexit was the cause of the problems England is facing, but there is no detail or timeline offered. We don't know why food or fuel is scarce, we don't know where things started to go wrong or why the economy has collapsed or really whats causing the pollution. Just that Brexit happened then the country has gone to shit. For me, what would have made this book more interesting would be some more detail into what happened between the UK leaving and the time Harra is alive. It feels almost irrelevant to the story that Brexit was the cause of everything, since there isn't a link given between Brexit and the situation Harra is in, we're just told that Brexit is the root of it all.
Having said that, if you ignore the Brexit backdrop, and look at this as a dystopian novel, it's pretty good. There's some real tension. Harra is a good every-man, full of doubt and worry, but at the same time a real warrior. She's left hr home and family, knowing she will never see them again and knows nothing about the journey ahead of her.
One other cool thing I noticed is that at one point Harra randomly picks up a book, which is about the history of England. The first chapter is called Saxon Dawn, which I recognised from somewhere. Quick trip to the bookshelves, and I confirmed it. I read this book! It's A Short History of England by Simon Jenkins.
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