The Wall

After a climatic development called the Change, an island very similar to Great Britain has built the Wall - a massive defence structure around its entire coastline. Joseph Kavanagh, the storys narrator, has to serve two years on the Wall as a Defender, staring out to sea, keeping watch and making sure the Others dont get in. For every Other who makes it across the Wall, a Defender will be banished from the country and is put out to sea on a boat. Just as Joseph is growing closer to Hifa, one of the other defenders, something happens that changes everything. John Lanchester presents us with a disturbing vision of the possibly not-too-distant future, based on present trends such as climate change, anti-refugee sentiment and post-Brexit shortages. The result is a story that grips the readers attention from the start, with an ominous sense of danger pervading the entire novel.